Dhiraj Pednekar

Dhiraj Pednekar (b. 1990, Mangalwad, Karnataka, India) pursued his BFA in Painting from Goa College of Art, Goa, 2012, and MFA in Sculpture from Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication, Hyderabad, 2014. He has participated in various group shows including at Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad, 2014, Goethe Zentrum, Hyderabad, 2018, Museum of Goa, Goa, 2019,  Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, 2019, Goa Open Arts Festival, Goa, 2020, Art Buzz studios, New Delhi, 2020, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, 2022, Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts, Goa, 2022 and Goa Open Arts Fundraiser, Goa, 2022.

Some of his recent achievements include the Gold Medal for Academic Excellence in MFA, University of Hyderabad, Telangana, 2014, State Art Award for Painting, Kala Academy Goa, 2020, and the Fundacao Oriente Visual Art Award, Goa, 2020. 

Dhiraj’s art practice is multifarious, comprising various mediums such as drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, audio-visual production, and performance art. His recent works carry strong imprints of environmental and social consciousness and raise concerns over unbridled human invasion into the natural world. Pitted against the backdrop of ecology and consumerism, his works present society in a constant state of conflict. Therefore the works function as silent protest and shed light on the complicated relationship between Humankind and Nature.

The set of charcoal drawings “A Promised Land” is both the product and logical progression of Dhiraj’s current interest in ecology and art. The series was inspired by his study of Pranay Lal’s 2016 book Indica: A Deep Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent. He was not only inspired by the book’s emphasis on the pristine energy and passion drawn from India’s natural heritage and the science of life, but it also caused him to think closely about the state of life on Earth. As the title playfully suggests, humanity is (mis)treating natural resources in order to satisfy its unbridled hunger. 

Dhiraj lives and works in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.