BIOGRAPHY
ANAND SHATRUGHNA PRATAP
Anand Shatrughna Pratap (b. 1995, Tuljapur, Maharashtra, India) is a contemporary visual artist, educator, and researcher based in Pune, India. His practice spans painting, drawing, photography, and experimental approaches to visual expression, engaging with questions of caste, identity, social inequality, collective memory, and the politics of representation. Rooted in the social and cultural realities of contemporary India, his work examines the relationship between individual experience and collective histories, particularly the ways in which marginalized communities are represented, overlooked, or rendered invisible within dominant social narratives.
Drawing upon Ambedkarite thought, Buddhist philosophy, and experiences of caste-based discrimination, Pratap approaches art as a space for questioning established structures of power and social hierarchy. His practice reflects an ongoing engagement with histories of exclusion, labour, dignity, resistance, and the possibilities of social transformation. Through symbolic imagery, layered surfaces, expressive forms, and material experimentation, he investigates the tensions between visibility and erasure, oppression and liberation, memory and historical silence. Rather than treating art solely as an aesthetic object, he considers visual expression a means of confronting social realities and creating alternative ways of seeing.
The experiences of communities whose labour and identities remain marginalized are central to his artistic investigations. His photographic project Friction, documenting the everyday lives of coal-mine workers, examines the relationship between labour, difficult living conditions, human endurance, and social inequality. His broader practice similarly explores how images can communicate histories and experiences that are frequently absent from dominant cultural representations. The ideas of resistance, collective identity, and human dignity continue to shape his approach to contemporary visual culture.
Memory and identity form an important dimension of Pratap's artistic and intellectual inquiry. His engagement with Ambedkarite and Buddhist thought reflects an interest in how social histories are remembered, communicated, and transformed through visual language. His ongoing research extends these concerns into the politics of visibility in contemporary art, investigating how caste, social identity, digital mediation, and emerging technologies influence the production and circulation of images. Across artistic practice and research, he is interested in the capacity of visual culture to challenge dominant perceptions and open possibilities for a more equitable society.
Pratap graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art and a Master of Fine Art in Creative Painting from Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai, where he also completed a Diploma in Art Education. His work has been exhibited at venues including Jehangir Art Gallery, Bombay Art Society Art Gallery, Artist Centre Art Gallery, and Darda Art Gallery, as well as in exhibitions organized by the Government of Maharashtra.
He received the 61st Government of Maharashtra State Art Award in 2022 and the Young Artist Scholarship awarded through the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, for 2019–2021. His recognitions also include the J. R. Mistry Memorial Award from the Art Society of India, the Government of Maharashtra Merit Award, and several awards for painting and creative artwork.
His works are represented in collections including Raj Bhavan, Mumbai; Life Insurance Corporation of India, Mumbai; and Darda Art Gallery, Nagpur. His writing has appeared in Hakara, Anhadlok, and Bahuri Nahi Aawan.
Alongside his artistic practice, Pratap is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Art and Design at Vishwakarma University, Pune. His work as an educator and researcher connects traditional artistic processes with contemporary visual practices, interdisciplinary inquiry, and emerging digital technologies.
He lives and works in Pune, India.
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2022
61st Maharashtra State Art Exhibition, Directorate of Art, Government of Maharashtra, Maharashtra, India.
Colours of Independence: 75 Years of Art, online exhibition organized by the Bombay Art Society, Mumbai, India.
2019–2020
Annual Art Exhibition, Artist Centre Art Gallery, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai, India.
2018
Annual Art Exhibition, Bombay Art Society, Jehangir Art Gallery and Bombay Art Society Art Gallery, Mumbai, India.
2017–2018
World Orange Festival, group exhibition, Darda Art Gallery, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India.
Monuments of Maharashtra, group exhibition, Life Insurance Corporation of India, Central Office, Yogakshema, Nariman Point, Mumbai, India.
2016–2017
Group Exhibition, The Westin Hotel, Goregaon, Mumbai, India.
SELECTED WORKSHOPS AND ART CAMPS
2020–2021
Art for Society, painting camp organized by Camlin Kokuyo in association with Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai, India.
2019–2020
Painting Camp for Cancer and Tobacco Awareness, organized by Sir J. J. School of Art in association with Government Dental Hospital, Mumbai, and supported by the Kokuyo Camlin Art Foundation.
2019
Krishi Kala Utsav, invited guest artist and participant, Hyderabad, India.
Ajanta Caves: 200 Years of Rediscovery, painting workshop, art camp, and historical seminar associated with Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai, including visits to Ajanta and Ellora, Maharashtra.
2018–2019
All India Artists Painting Camp, Goa, supported by Mona Lisa Canvas.
2018
International World Orange Day Art Camp, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India.
Painting Camp commemorating the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, organized by Camlin Kokuyo in association with Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai, India.
Secular Movement, art camp organized by Secular Art Movement, India (participation in 2018 and 2019).
2016–2017
Landscape Painting Camp, organized by Mudra Education Trust, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, India.
2014–2015
Colours of Youth, workshop organized by Colours of Life in association with MTV and supported by Maruti Suzuki, Mumbai, India.
Additional selected workshop
FICA Workshop, organized by the Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art in association with the Students' Biennale / Kochi-Muziris Biennale, conducted at Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai. Workshop conceptualized and conducted by Koushik Mukhopadhyay with Sonal Sundarrajan as an additional resource person.
AWARDS
2022
61st Government of Maharashtra State Art Award, Directorate of Art, Government of Maharashtra.
2020–2021
Camlin Award for Best Creative Artwork, Annual Art Exhibition, Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai.
2019–2021
Young Artist Scholarship, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, under the scholarship scheme for young artists in different cultural fields.
2019–2020
Second Prize, Painting Competition organized by Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), Mumbai. Award recognition by artist Prabhakar Kolte; selected artwork featured in the MMRC annual calendar.
2018
Merit Award, 59th Maharashtra State Art Exhibition, Government of Maharashtra.
J. R. Mistry Memorial Award for Painting, Art Society of India.
Lokmanya Tilak and Late Barrister V. V. Oak Smriti All India Award for Best Painting.
Special Achievement Certificate, Social Justice and Special Assistance Department, Government of Maharashtra.
2017–2018
Gopal S. Adivrekar Award, Annual Art Exhibition, Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai.
Dolly Cursetjee Award for Conceptual Drawing, Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai.
2017
Best Landscape Award, All India Landscape Competition, Sai Chitrakala Mahavidyalaya, Pune.
2016–2017
Shri Solomon Abraham Prize for Best Artwork, Annual Art Exhibition, Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai.
2015–2016
Gladstone Solomon Award for Best Artwork, Annual Art Exhibition, Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai.
2015
First Prize, All India Portrait Competition, Vasai Vikasini College of Visual Art, Vasai, Maharashtra.
2014–2015
Camlin Award, Annual Art Exhibition, Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai.
2014
Best 3D Design of the Year, Annual Art Exhibition, L. S. Raheja School of Art, Mumbai.
2D Design of the Year, L. S. Raheja School of Art, Mumbai.
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Raj Bhavan, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), Mumbai, India.
Darda Art Gallery, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Hakara Journal
Published contribution by Anand Shatrughna Pratap.
Anhadlok Journal
Vyanjana Art and Culture Society. Published contribution, page 95 of the linked issue.
Bahuri Nahi Aawan
Published contribution, January–March 2023 issue, page 29.
EDUCATION
2021
Diploma in Art Education (DIP-A-ED), First Class with Distinction, Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai, India.
2018–2020
Master of Fine Art (MFA), Creative Painting, First Class, Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai, India.
2014–2018
Bachelor of Fine Art (BFA), First Class with Distinction, Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai, India.
2014
Foundation Certificate Course in Fine Art, First Class, L. S. Raheja School of Art, Mumbai, India.
SELECTED ACADEMIC AND RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
Ongoing
Research exploring the politics of visibility in contemporary visual art, with particular attention to caste, social identity, marginalization, representation, and digital mediation.
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Art and Design, Department of Animation, Vishwakarma University, Pune, India.
2023
Faculty Development Programme, Indian Knowledge Systems and Its Applications, organized by Vishwakarma University, Pune, in collaboration with the Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems, Chanakya University, Bengaluru.
2022
Faculty Development Programme, Jagran Lakecity University, Bhopal, India, 11–13 July.
2021
Research Dialogue, Jagran Lakecity University, Bhopal, India, 12–13 November.