Gogi Saroj Pal

Gogi Saroj Pal was born in 1945 in the small town of Neoli in Uttar Pradesh. She was studied at the Government College of Arts & Crafts in Lucknow and then a postgraduate diploma in painting from the College of Art, New Delhi.

As a painter, her creativity stems from her concern for the human, especially the female. Gogi’s paintings are a mirror held up to society, showing the disparity in relationships between the sexes and are designed to exhibit the issues of a woman’s life – contemporary, local, regional and universal consciousness. They emerge from her astute understanding of engagements that overlap history and memory. She uses metaphors in her works like a wish-fulfilling cow for womankind. Her work, especially the Nayika series focused on the facets of feminine attraction, addressing the female as the epitome of sensuality and male desire.

“My life and my cultural identity carve the directions of my expression. Inspirations for expression emerge around and within me. I want my creative concerns to be relevant to my times, imbibing local, regional and universal consciousness. I want to express these in my own creative visual imagery. I want to evolve and leave behind creative visual symbols as references to our times. I think in colour and achieve consistent factor to accomplish creativity in my paintings.”

Keen observations of the world around her and an intensive search of her soul provides Gogi with material to transform into paintings of detailed visual impressions. She is comfortable with diverse mediums like installation, painting, sculpture, graphic print, ceramics, jewellery, weaving and photography. 

Her work forms a part of major museum collections in Japan, Amsterdam and Poland. She has received the Sanskriti Award in 1980 and the National Award by the Lalit Kala Akademi in 1990. She has been awarded a fellowship to the Lalit Kala Akademi in 1981, and a junior fellowship from the Department of Culture, Government of India in 1986.

Pal lives and works in New Delhi.