The conversation begins on a cheerful note, with anecdotes about travel and artistic encounters coming in quick succession. Contemporary artist and curator Ajitvar Kumar Douglas is particularly animated when discussing history, a subject that informs most of his work. He sees history as an evolving account of events and ideas that are open to interpretation across time and geography. “I’m interested in understanding these changes and looking at what remains. Even when I use figures of gods and goddesses, I’m not necessarily making a religious painting. I’m using the iconography that we see in temples and giving it a different context,” he explains.
Recently selected for the 11th Tashkent International Biennale of Contemporary Art in Uzbekistan, Douglas sees the experience as another chapter of a journey that has taken him to more than 28 countries. This event brought together 70 artists from 29 countries, with Douglas and Hyderabad-based artist Priti Samyukta representing India. Going to Tashkent held personal significance, he shares, “When I spoke to my father about the invitation, he told me I had to go to Samarkand because that is where our family had migrated from many years ago. I had always wanted to travel along the Silk Road, so this was an opportunity to connect with that part of our history.”
Since making Bengaluru, which he calls his karmabhoomi, his permanent home around 15 years ago, his artistic language has also undergone a significant change. The temple sculptures and everyday life here have since influenced his paintings, particularly his use of colour.
The three works he exhibited at the biennale belong to his Solitude series, exploring the tension between isolation and connection. Abstract forms, deep colours, textured surfaces and small human figures set against vast landscapes capture the experience of turning inward. The series viewed solitude as a crossing through which one comes into force.
His international exposure began with invitations to art symposiums in India that later took him to Qatar, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, France, Egypt, South Korea and other countries. His exhibition history includes the 9th Biennale de Sarria in Spain, exhibitions in South Korea and a solo show at SPC Kunstraum Gallery in Copenhagen. He also participated in the PaRDeS project in Mirano in 2024. “Travel opens a different perspective. The India you know while living here is different from the India you understand when you go out and compare. You meet artists from different countries, see how they work and understand their cultural references. It makes you question your assumptions and gives you new ways of looking at your practice,” reflects Douglas.