Uma Bardhan

Uma Bardhan (born in 1945) is an Indian contemporary artist. Her paintings are usually themed on stories and positions which are under-represented in both mainstream and contemporary art culture. Her preferred medium is water color on silk, and she has also worked in other media, including oil on canvas. Her paintings are in several major collections in India & abroad. Her works has been hugely inspired by her formative years in Kolkata and her deep belief in spirituality. Originally from Kolkata she lives & works in Gurgaon, Haryana

Early life and education Uma Bardhan started her work in early 20s, completed her Bachelor of Arts, from University of Calcutta followed by Diploma in fine arts from Birla Academy of Art and Culture, West Bengal under the tutelage of eminent artists like Makhan Dutta Gupta in oil color and Maniklal Banerjee in water colour.

Uma Bardhan did her first solo art show in 1987, followed by numerous solo shows across decade. Her solo show Cosmic dance of Shiva I 2014 was themed on various form of dancing Shiva who is beneath all the creations and destruction's in this world.

Her interest in the subject & spirituality took her to countless Shiva temples across India.

In another exhibition at the Academy of Fine Arts, Bardhan portrays the predominance of artificial environment prevalent in present-day city life as a contrast to the pristine beauty of nature in rural life. This series is hugely inspired by her formative years in Kolkata and the time she spent travelling to the interior villages and tribal areas of Bengal—a motif which keeps recurring in her works.

Water Color on Silk

She is one of a very few artist who uses a medium "Water Colour on Silk". A painstaking process where a special silk cloth is mounted on board before it can be used for painting.

Exhibitions Performed Solo & Group Shows at: Academy of Fine Arts, Kokata AIFACS, New Delhi Alliance Francaise, New Delhi Birla Academy, Kolkata Chitrakala Parishad, Bangalore Chemould Art Gallery, Kolkata DD Neroy Art Gallery, Mumbai Epicenter, Gurgaon Information Center, Kolkata ICCR, Kolkata Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi Open Palm Court IHC, New Delhi Sridharani Art Gallery, New Delhi State Gallery of Fine Arts, Hyderabad Visual Art Gallery IHC, New Delhi

Exhibitions for Social Cause " On Women empowerment" in association with Central Social Welfare Board at Sridharani Art Gallery, New Delhi 2012 " On Color discrimination" in association with Gallery Sree Arts at Alliance Francaise, Aug 2014.