Bio
Represented by Galerie ISA, Mumbai, India
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Ricky Vasan is a representational painter from Dehradun, India currently based in Boston Massachusetts. He received his BFA in painting from Massachusetts College of Art & Design in 2023. and is currently a MFA candidate at the Rhode Island School of Design. Vasan has exhibited his work locally and internationally and recently was an artist in residence at Galerie ISA, Mumbai where he also had his debut solo exhibition in January 2024. Vasan has been a recipient of the George Nick award, The Rob Moore Grant in painting and The Kofi Kayiga auction award. His painting ‘Two Aliens Share a Beer’ was also awarded best in show for the Cambridge Art Association’s 2022 National Prize Show. Predominantly Vasan’s work focuses on domesticity and the celebration of the mundane. The minutiae of life serves as the artistʼs prelude. Through an autobiographical lens, Vasan works to create smaller narratives, showcasing moments, spaces and people that are personally significant, while also expanding on memory and nostalgia.
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Artist Statement
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My work is a quiet celebration of the minutiae of life. I find inspiration in intimate moments and private spaces. The figures I choose to paint are often significant people in my life, and it is through this autobiographical lens that I attempt to tell a story. Inventive colour relationships and geometric shapes act as artefacts of our connection to culture based recollection and our individual cognizance. I am interested in creating a surface that is full of history, each mark recalling cherished experiences. Spaces collapse, figures vibrate and objects are superimposed on top of one another. The resolution of these paintings comes from a search. The lines and swatches of colour are the revelatory instruments. The goal is to tap into a tender moment bereft of logical perception of time, accuracy and space. In a way that resembles our perception of memory and is faithful to our way of remembering.
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Education
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Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
MFA in Painting 2024-2026
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Massachusetts College of Art & Design, Boston, MA,
BFA in Painting (hons.) 2023
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Exhibitions
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Solo Exhibition, 'Just A Little While Longer' Galerie ISA, Mumbai, India, 2024
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Group Exhibition, Art Mumbai booth with Galerie ISA, Mumbai, India, 2024
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Group Exhibition, 'Miracle of Absence', Art Exposure, Kolkata, India, 2024
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Group Exhibition, 'What is a Heart?', Northern Essex Community College, Haverhill, MA, 2024
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Group Exhibition, 'Second Sight', Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI, 2024
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Group Exhibition, India Art Fair, booth with Galerie ISA, New Delhi, India, 2024
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Group Exhibition, 'Now Streaming', Rajiv Menon Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA, 2024
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Group Exhibition, 'BORDER(less)', MassartxSowa, Boston, MA, 2024
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Group Exhibition, Art Mumbai booth with Galerie ISA, Mumbai, India, 2023
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Group Exhibition, Fresh Faces, Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, Boston, MA, 2023
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Group Exhibition, BODYSCAPES, Fenway Gallery, Boston, MA, 2023
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Group Exhibition, 2022 National Prize Show,
Cambridge, MA 2022
Group Exhibition, George Nick Prize Show, Arnheim Gallery,
Boston, MA 2022
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Group Exhibition, Between You and I, Piano Craft Gallery, Boston, MA, 2022
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Group Exhibition, Emerging Artists Exhibit, The Speedway Gallery,
Brighton, MA 2022
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Group Exhibition, Love That Dirty Water, Cambridge Art Association, Cambridge, MA 2022
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Grants & Awards
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​ Gelman Fellowship, Rhode Island School of Design, 2024
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Artist in Residence, Galerie ISA, Mumbai, 2023
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Kofi Kayiga Auction Award 2023
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Cambridge Art Association, Best in Show, National Prize Show, 2022
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George Nick Prize 2022
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Rob Moore Grant in Painting 2022
Painting Foundation Award 2021
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Studio Foundation Award 2020
Publication
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GoLocalProv, 'Meet Figurative Painter Ricky Vasan - Inside Art with Michael Rose', November 2024
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Indian Express, 'Art curator Gayatri Sinha on her latest curatorial work in Kolkata', November 2024
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Mint, 'The Ambitious Displays at India Art Fair 2024 Attracted Record Attendance', November 2024
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Vogue India, '13 new art shows in India we’re excited about this November', November2024
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Cultbytes, 'The Ambitious Displays at India Art Fair 2024 Attracted Record Attendance', February 2024
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Architectural Digest India, '11 art exhibits not to miss at Mumbai Gallery Weekend 2024', January 2024
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Southwest Magazine, '21 Under 31', September, 2023
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Sunday Mid-Day News, 'A Fair to Remember', November, 2023
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Artscope Magazine, 'Bodyscapes' February 2023
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