Amit Ambalal
Born in Ahmedabad in 1943, Amit Ambalal studied Arts, Commerce and Law and worked as a businessman until 1979 when he became a full-time artist. He received his art education from well-known painter Shri Chhaganlal Jadav. Ambalal has a predilection for watercolours as he finds them ‘friendly – guiding you where to stop’. This moment of completion is when he finds the work imbued with energy and wit. Ambalal paints in a magical style characterised by a looseness of line and abundant use of cloudy, deep colours that can almost be tasted or smelt, especially in his paintings in gouache on paper. The influence of Balinese art and Hinduism is evident in many of these paintings. Ambalal’s dry pastel work by contrast uses colours that are less rich and more streaked. This makes the form of the images simpler, but also heightens the dynamic sense of motion that is present in much of his work. In addition to paintings, Ambalal sculpts in polymer type clay and papier-mache. Through his works, Amit Ambalal often re-explores mythological themes and tales. He reimagines mythical characters in a new idiom and crafts secular and satirical equivalences of manifestations of worship.
Amit Ambalal’s work has been exhibited at Gallery Espace; Gallery Chemould, Mumbai; Archer Art Gallery, Ahmedabad; Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata; Bodhi Art, Singapore; Galerie F.I.A., Amsterdam; James Harvey Gallery, Sydney and others.
He is the recipient of the Civitella Ranieri Foundation Fellowship in 2003 and has received awards from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation in 1974 and the Gujarat State Lalit Kala Academy in 1968.
Amit Ambalal’s interest in Nathdwara paintings led him to publish a seminal book, Krishna as Shrinathji – Rajasthani paintings from Nathdwara. He also held an exhibition in Delhi of Nathdwara paintings from his personal collection.
The artist lives and works in Ahmedabad.
Amit Ambalal
1943 Born in Ahmedabad
Lives and works in Ahmedabad
Education
Graduate in Arts, Commerce and Law
Art Education under Shri. Chhaganlal Jadav
Exhibitions
Solo
2010 Sermons in Ceramics, Amdavad Ni Gufa, Ahmedabad
2008 Recent Works, Gallery Espace, New Delhi and Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai
2006 Black Spring of the Blue God, organized by Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai and Gallery Maya, London
2005 Leela: The Lightness of Being, Bodhi Art, New Delhi and Singapore
2004 Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai
2003 The Civitella Experience, Hutheesing Visual Arts Centre, Ahmedabad.
2003, ’02, ’00 Archer Art Gallery, Ahmedabad
2001, ’98 Galerie F.I.A., Amsterdam
2000 Amit Ambalal, Gallery Espace, New Delhi
1998 Archer, Herwitz Gallery, Ahmedabad
1997, ’93, ’90, ’86 Gallery Chemould, Mumbai
1996 Herwitz Gallery, Husain Doshi Gufa, Ahmedabad
1994, ’92 Gallery Espace, New Delhi
1993, ’80 Hutheesing Visual Arts Centre, Ahmedabad
1992 Contemporary Art Gallery, Ahmedabad
1986 Sanskar Kendra Gallery, Ahmedabad
1984, ’92 Contemporary Art Gallery, Ahmedabad
1983 Sangat, Ahmedabad
1983 Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai
1980 Urja Art Gallery, Baroda
1980 Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata
Group
2012 Narratives of the Self: Autobiographies, Gallery Espace, New Delhi
2011 Masters Ltd: Limited Editions, Gallery Beyond, Mumbai
2011 Of Humour, Wit & Satire, Gallery Threshold, New Delhi
2011 Manifestations V, Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi
2011 The Intuitive: Logic Revisited, from the Osians Collection at the World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland
2010 Master’s Corner, organized by Indian Contemporary Art Journal at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai
2010 National Printmaking Portfolio, Marvel Art Gallery, Ahmedabad
2010 Manifestations IV, Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi
2010 Roots, 25th Anniversary Exhibition of Sakshi Art Gallery, Mumbai at The Park, Chennai
2009 Lo Real Maravilloso: Marvelous Reality, 20 Years Celebration of Gallery Espace at Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi
2009 Think Small, Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi
2008 Mapping Memories – 2, Painted Travelogues of Bali and Burma, Gallery Threshold, New Delhi
2008 Mapping Memories – 1, Painted Travelogues of China and Greece, Gallery Threshold, New Delhi
2006 Drawing Show an Act of Art II, Priyasri Art Gallery, Mumbai
2006 Making of Divinity, Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai
2006 Back to the Future, Gallery Espace, New Delhi
2005 Palette 2005, Palette Art Gallery, New Delhi
2005 Divine Inspiration, India Fine Art, Mumbai
2005 Papyrus Works on Paper, Sarjan Art Gallery, Baroda
2005 Group Show 2005, Lanxess ABS Gallery, Baroda
2005 In Short, Hacienda Gallery, Mumbai
2005 Bhupen Among Friends, Gallery Chemould, Mumbai
2005 Angkor-The Silent Centuries, Bodhi Art, Singapore, New Delhi
2005 Ritu – A Gathering of Seasons, Anant Art Gallery, New Delhi
2004 Art for Shaily, The Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
2004 Jiva / Life, Bodhi Art, Singapore
2004 A Tribute to Bhupen Khakhar, Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai
2004 Indian Artists for France, Alliance Francaise, New Delhi
2004 The Margi and the Desi, Gallery Espace, New Delhi
2004 Interlude in Srilanka, The Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai
2003 Of Memories, Dreams, Reveries, Anant Art Gallery, New Delhi
2003 Shantipath, Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai
2002 Leela, Gallery Espace, New Delhi
2002 Navarasa, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
2002 Cinema Still, Apparao Galleries, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
2001 The Aesthetic Experience, Sakshi Gallery and Art Underground, Mumbai
2001 In Conversation, Gallery Espace, New Delhi
2001 Similarities and Dissimilarities – West, Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai
2000 Once Upon a Time, Gallery Chemould, Mumbai
2000 Memoirs of the Past, Images of the Present and Picturing the Future…, The Fine Art Company, Mumbai
2000 Faces, Design Art, New Delhi
2000 Beyond the Surface, Gallery Espace, Delhi and Fine Art Company, Mumbai
2000 Early Works, The Fine Art Company, Mumbai
1999 The World is Round and Time is Cyclical, Art Today, New Delhi
1999 Humour on Line, Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai
1999 Icons of the Millenium, Lakeeren, Mumbai
1999 Ganesha, Chauraha International, Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Mumbai
1999 Multiple Images, organized by Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy Parsee Benevolent Institute of Sir J.J. School of Applied Art, Mumbai
1998 Wilberding Collection of Contemporary Indian Art, National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai
1997 Major Trends in Indian Art since 1947, Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi
1997 Gift for India, Sahmat, New Delhi
1997 James Harvey Gallery, Sydney
1996 Harmony Show, Nehru Centre, Mumbai
1995 Utsava, Festival of Perth, Amsterdam
1995 A Tree in My Life, Village Gallery, New Delhi
1995 Gouache on Paper, Gallery Espace, New Delhi
1995 Post Cards for Gandhi, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, New Delhi
1995 Indian Beast, The Gallery, Chennai
1995 Watercolours – A Broad Spectrum, Gallery Chemould, Mumbai
1995, ’93, ’88 Art for CRY, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore
1994 Drawing’ 94, Gallery Espace, New Delhi
1993 Schoo’s Gallery, Amsterdam
1993 Shraddha Samarpan, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai
1991 Artists Against Communalism: Images and Words, touring exhibition
1990 A Gallery of Indians, Harvard
1990 Gadyaparva Exhibition, Gallery Chemould, Mumbai
1990 Chitragurjari ’90, Vishwagurjari, Mumbai
1989 Indian Contemporary Art, Amsterdam
1989 Artist Alert, Delhi
Art Fairs/Biennials/Triennials
2010 India International Art Fair, New Delhi
1996 6th Bharat Bhavan Biennale of Contemporary Indian Art, Bhopal
1990 Third Painting Biennale, Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal
1986 Sixth Triennale, New Delhi
Awards
2003 Civitella Ranieri Foundation Fellowship, Italy
1974 Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, Ahmedabad
1968 Gujarat State Lalit Kala Academy, Gujarat
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