Bhubaneswar: Noted writer and painter Prafulla Mohanti, who is a British citizen of Indian origin, recently converted his two-storey house in Nanpur village of Jajpur district into an art gallery, which was recently opened on his 90th birthday. The gallery titled ‘The Creative Hands’ houses hundreds of paintings made by Mohanti and other artists. The artist reportedly said that the conversion of his house into a gallery was prompted by his desire to teach art, painting, dance, song and other cultural activities to children in his hometown in an institutional way.
Born in Nanpur in 1936, Mohanti completed his graduation from Bombay University and then received a diploma in Town Planning from Leeds University in the UK, where he also had his first solo exhibition of paintings in the ’60s. The influence of his birthplace and childhood experiences can be seen clearly in his art. It was the repeated practice of making circles with mud chalk on the ground that has helped refine his skills. He not only drew good pictures but also perfected his handwriting for both Odia and English scripts. The vermillion spot on his mother’s forehead was mirrored in his rising and setting sun, defusing crimson colour in the sky, and the circle turned into the cosmos or Brahmanda. The abstract renditions of his art cape include the Bindu or dot, signifying Shunya, floating blue clouds and the blue ocean.
The artist has had several exhibitions in many parts of the world including Europe, America, Japan and India. His paintings have been part of several international travelling exhibitions organised by the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi. His works are in the collection of The British Museum in London, Leeds City Art Gallery, Wakefield City Art Gallery, Brighton Art Gallery, University of Leeds, University of Sussex, University of Kent, Museum of Modern Art at Berkeley, Academy of Fine Arts at Kolkata, Air India, First National City Bank at Manila, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, the National Gallery of Modern Art and Lalit Kala Academy, all three in New Delhi and many other public and private collections. The artist has also authored a couple of books and runs an NGO in the state. He lives mostly in London and works from his studio at home.
ARINDAM GANGULY, OP