Sanjay Sundram: The Fertile Crescent

About Sanjay Sundram
Born in New Delhi, India
Lives and works in Ottawa, Canada
Sanjay Sundram studied architecture at university. He works with traditional media such as watercolours and oils, but frequently creates Augmented reality works and installations too.
"I have always lived in big cities and have watched them grow. As a student of
architecture, I was compelled to understand their structure and observe the changing landscape. But I kept drawing them instead.
I find my inspiration in urban spaces. Large simians appear on skyscrapers built on the ruins of their forest. Cars spout golden flowers instead of smoke. Wings want to fly.
I settled in Ottawa in 2013, coming from Delhi. It has been vigorous adventure
since then. As I try and understand a different set of structures, and encounter new spaces, it seems to reflect in my work. I find that ideas of flight and that of change, feature more often in the paintings. "
Sanjay has participated in solo and group exhibitions in the US, UK, Canada, Italy and India. His work navigates environmental themes, and has been collected by the City of Ottawa, the Indian High Commission in Canada, the United Nations Development Fund, the Worldwide Fund for Nature, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Foundation, and the Fortis Foundation among others. His work in Art and Design has also been featured in publications such as Art in America, Platform and at the AVANCA Int’l Festival of film and multimedia. Awards include the SIIA Codie award USA, the British Education and Training technology (BETT) award, and WOLCE- UK awards.
CV
Education:
B.Arch, School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi
M.Des, Indian Institute of Technology (Industrial Design Centre, IIT-Bombay)
Exhibitions:
2022 Upcoming solo show, The Artist as a Meat-eating Coal Factory, Shenkman Arts Centre, Ottawa
2022 Kaleidoscope, Kanata Art gallery, Ottawa
2021 Parkdale ArtWall, Outdoor mural, Wellington West, Ottawa
2021 'Tis the Season, Kanata Art gallery, Ottawa
2021 New Life, Kanata Art gallery, Ottawa
2021 Glebe Art Cube, Mural at TD Lansdowne Place, Ottawa
2020 Art&Co- Art auction by InsurAid, London, UK
2020 Scenic Route, Virtual show- Kanata Art gallery, Ottawa
2020 Secret Places, Kanata Civic Art gallery, Ottawa
2019 Unveiling of commissioned work by the Indian High Commission to Canada, Kailash Mittal Theatre, Carleton University, Ottawa
2019 No Borders, Nectar Gallery, Ottawa
2018 Silent Cities, Solo show at the Trinity Gallery Ottawa
2018 Nature Embedded, National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai
2018 Aroha, Shenkman Arts Centre, Ottawa
2017 The Fertile Crescent, Solo show at the Trinity Gallery, Ottawa
2017 Longevity- 2017 additions to the City of Ottawa Art Collection, City Hall Art Gallery, Ottawa
2017 South Asian Festival, Jean Pigott Place- City Hall, Ottawa
2016 Flight, Solo show at the Atrium gallery, Ottawa
2016 South Asian Festival, Jean Pigott Place- City Hall, Ottawa
2015 Aruba’s Story, David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust UK/ Kenya
2014 Art in the Park, Ottawa
2013 Sarai Reader 09, Devi Art foundation, Gurgaon
2013 Artist-in-Residence at Devi Art foundation, Gurgaon
2012 Contemporary Artists Collective, Conceptual, Brescia, ITALY
2012 United Art Fair, New Delhi
2012 Conservation on Canvas, at Taj Palace and Religare Arts, WWF/ Religare Arts, New Delhi
2012 India Art Fair 2012, Religare Arts, New Delhi
2011 Artist-in-residence at Religare Arts, New Delhi
2011 Nanhi Chhaan, Gandhi Smriti, Religare Arts, New Delhi
2010 Games Artist Play, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
2010 Mind the Gap, Gallery Art Positive, New Delhi
2010 Invisible Cities, AICON gallery, New York, USA
2009 India Art Summit, Religare Arts.i
2009 The Why Not Place, Religare Arts.i, New Delhi
2009 Connaught Place – The Why Not Place, Artist-in-residence, Religare Arts.i, New Delhi
2009 Everything Under the Sun… almost, Two person show, Religare Arts.i, New Delhi
2002 Borderless Terrains, Apparao Galleries, Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
2001 Converging Diversions: expressions beyond architecture, Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre
2001 Exhibition of watercolours, Jharokha Art Gallery, New Delhi
2000 All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, AIFAACS Gallery, New Delhi
2000 Exhibition of animal drawings and watercolours, Gallery Art Plus, New Delhi
2000 Questioning Man’s creation myths, Industrial Design Centre, Mumbai
Commissioned Works:
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Moral Progress | Painting commission by the Indian High Commission to Canada
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Elephant watercolours | Commissioned by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, UK/ Kenya
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Series of 12 paintings in oils and watercolours | Commissioned by United Nations Development Programme
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'Aruba's story' watercolours | Commissioned by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, UK/ Kenya
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'If You're Happy in a Dream, Does it Count'- Fiber glass sculptures, 30 ft. Glass Etching | Commissioned by: Magic Software
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Exhibition Murals | Commissioned by: Agrotech Fair, Chandigarh
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Watercolours for WWF’s Virtual wildlife- education and outreach program for children | Commissioned by World Wildlife Fund International
Awards and Grants:
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2021 Creation and Production Award for professional artists, City of Ottawa.
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Acquisition of work for the City of Ottawa’s Art collection.
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Ontario Arts Council (OAC) Exhibition Grant 2018-19
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Ontario Arts Council (OAC) Exhibition Grant 2017-18
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SIIA’s Codie Award, Best Instructional solution for Special Need Students, USA
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British Education and Training Technology, BETT Awards, UK
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The World of Learning conference and exhibition (WOLCE) awards, UK
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Chip-Arena Multimedia Award, Best educational product
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PC World – Editor’s Choice Award
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Selection for AVANCA, International Festival of Film and Multimedia, Portugal
Published:
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Platform Magazine: QR codes/ Technology Interventions in Art
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Art in America, Jason Stopa: New Delhi’s UAF
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Religare Arts Publications: Everything under the Sun