Debashish Paul (born in 1994 in Nadia district in West Bengal) explores the problems of queer identity in a society dominated by heterosexual norms. Paul has done his BFA from The Indian college of Art and Draftsmanship, in sculpture, Kolkata, and this year he completed his master’s degree in sculpture from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. He works across mediums including sculptural dress, performance, video, and drawing. He seeks to expand and explore the tabooed conception of homosexuality by unveiling the body, treating it as a tender landscape, and generating new references to queer identities. Working in the method of automatism. Paul’s recent sculptural costumes and connected performances indicate no specific gender orientation, male or female, are, in fact, the sensible screens, which both conceal and reveal fragile emotions and desires, always in conflict with society.
Paul was one of the winners of the: Inlaks Fine art award 2022, India; Allegro 1st prize 2021, Contemporary LYNX, UK : Of Liminal Beings and Other Spaces -2021, Emami Art, Kolkata, India Artist Relief Fund-2021 (MAP in partnership with 1Shanthiroad Studio/Gallery); Student’s Biennale – 2021, Kochi, Kala Sakshi Workshop-2021, Emami Art Open Call Exhibition -2020, Kolkata.
Statement:
Through his work, the artist explores the problems of queer identity in a society dominated by heterosexual norms, working across mediums including sculptural costume, performance, dance, video, and drawing. He identifies as non-binary and seeks to expand and explore the taboo around homosexuality by unveiling the body, treating it as a tender landscape, and generating new references for queer identities. Working in the method of automatism, he expresses his private emotions and sensibilities freely and without any control of prior thought or planning. He is meticulous while choosing materials for his works.
His recent sculptural costumes and connected performances indicate no specific gender orientation, male or female. They are sensible screens that conceal and reveal fragile emotions and desires that conflict with society. The sculptural dresses he makes and wears, hide the physical body but reveal the internal body. In most cases, they are fluid figures, as if the innate complexity and diversity cannot be contained in a human outline. These continue to transform according to emotion, feelings and space. The captive soul wants to be free through performance and movement. The symbolic scenography of his dance and performance both in nature and city streets sets a stage for a story about hidden, personal dreams. Art becomes the “door to freedom”.
Beyond The Body and Gender
Sculptural Dress , Performance Based Video and photo
Video Duration – 6min 56sec
Sculpture Dress Medium- Nepali Handmade Paper, cloth, watercolor , charcoal
Year 2021
collaborate with Saurabh Singh and Suraj Gupta for videography and photography
Beyond The Body and Gender II
Sculptural Dress, Performance Based Video
Video Duration – 6min 58sec
Sculptural Dress Medium- Woven shells
Year 2021
collaborate with Saurabh Singh, Amit Verma, Srabani Naskar for videography and photography
The Boneless Hands
performance with sculptural dress and sound
Interventions in Space 28 august 2021
An on-site performance as part of the exhibition – “Of Liminal Beings & Other Spaces”, Curated by Ushmita Sahu at Emami Art, Kolkata
Body as a Landscape; Body in a Landscape
Sculptural Dress, Performance Based Video
Work in progress
Year 2021
collaborate with Saurabh Singh for videography and photography
“ Eyes I Dear not Meet in Dreams” II
Medium – Nepali Handmade Paper, cloth, watercolor, ink
Year 2020
Size – 3.8’ x 3’ x 2.5’
“Let me be no nearer in death’s dream kingdom Let me also wear Such deliberate disguises Rat’s cot”
Medium – Tissue Paper , Ink , Rope,
Size – 5.5’ x 2’ x 1’
year 2020
“Soul Colors Reflects on the Body” series
Year 2021
Medium – Water Color on Canson Paper
Each paper size – 8.3”x11.7”
The mind full of desire
Medium – Watercolor, Charcoal, Dry pastel on handmade paper
Each Paper Size – 8”x12”
Year 2021
