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Soumya Sankar Bose (b. 1990, Midnapore, India) is a Kolkata-based artist whose practice spans photography, film, alternative archives, and artist books. Through the reconstruction of archival materials and oral histories, Bose creates a hybrid narrative framework that intertwines extensive research with deep engagement with local communities, including his own family history. His work shines a light on subaltern experiences in post-Partition India, highlighting the resilience of marginalized voices. By blending fiction and reality with social science theory, Bose explores complex terrains of memory, desire, vulnerability, and identity, crafting a bold dialogue between the past and present.
Represented by:
Experimenter Gallery, Kolkata, India.
Portfolio & Installation view : Link
Awards & Fellowships :2024- Artistic chair at The Beaux-Arts Nantes Saint-Nazaire, le lieu unique, the city of Nantes and the Institut d'études avancées, France.
2023- The Louis Roederer Discovery Public Award, Rencontres d'Arles, France.
2023- Hello Magazine India Art Award.
2021- Shortlisted for the Lucie Photo Book prize .
2020- PHmuseum’s Best Photobooks of the year .
2020- Shortlisted for the Paris Photo - Aperture Foundation First Photobook Award .
2020- The Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art's Amol Vadehra Art Grant .
2020- The Agroecology Fund in collaboration with Magnum Foundation .
2019- Goethe-Insitut / Max Mueller Bhavan's Five Million Incidents .
2019- World Press Photo's Joop Swart Masterclass .
2019- India foundation for the Arts' Photo Book grant .
2018- Magnum Foundation & Henry Luce Foundation's Migration & Relegion grant .
2017- Magnum Foundation's Photography and Social Justice Fellowship .
2014 & 17- India foundation for the Arts grant under the Arts Practice Programme .
2014- The Toto Emerging Photographer of the Year .Selected Solo Exhibitions :
2024- Delfina Foundation, London, UK, curated by Erin Li. *
2023- Experimenter Colaba, Mumbai, India, Mumbai Gallery Weekend. *
2021- Experimenter Outpost, Sunderbans, India .*
2021- Experimenter ballygunge place, India .*
2019- Experimenter Outpost, Kolkata, India .*
2018- Experimenter, Kolkata, India .*
2016- Chitrabani, Kolkata, India.*
2016- Goethe-Institut,Max Mueller Bhavan, Kolkata,India.*
Selected Group Exhibitions :
2025- Le lieu unique, Nantes, France, curate by Patricia Buck.
2024- Centre de la photographie Genève, Switzerland, Curated by Danaé Panchaud.
2023- Magazzino delle Idee, Trieste, Italy curated by Filippo Maggia.
2023- Belfast Photo Festival, United Kingdom.
2023- The Rencontres d'Arles (France) curated by Tanvi Mishra.
2023- Ishara Art Foundation (Dubai) curated by Sandhini Poddar & Sabih Ahmed.
2022- Brooklyn Bridge Park – Emily Warren Roebling Plaza, New York, USA.
2022- Baxter St at CCNY, New York, USA.
2019- CultureHub, New York, USA .
2018- Photo Kathmandu, Nepal .
2018- Houston Center For Photography, Houston,Texas .
2018- SepiaEYE,New York City, NY .
2015- Delhi Photo Festival, Delhi,India.
2015- Goa Photo, Goa, India.Selected Collections :
Ishara Art Foundation, Dubai | Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Delhi | Royal Ontario Museum, Ontario | Les Rencontres d’Arles, Arles | Duncan Aviation, USA |Selected Interviews :
This Cup of Spilt Memory : Link
(Dis)Embarking Across Time : Link
Farming Images: The Documentary Practice of Soumya Sankar Bose : LinkSelected Clients :
Le Monde | HSBC Bank | Bloomberg Businessweek |
The Neue Zürcher Zeitung | Acumen | Financial Times |
Selected Residences :
2022- Delfina Foundation/London, UK.
2022- Prohelvetia/Zurich, Switzerland.
Selected Workshops/ Lectures :Guest Lecture and Workshops (12 session) at Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Nantes, France.Workshops at The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in collaboration with Photo South Asia.
Publications :Let's sing an old song
Kolkata: self-published (Red Turtle Photobook), 2021. ISBN 978-1-5136-8884-8. Edition of 500 copies.
Where the Birds Never Sing (English version)
Kolkata: self-published (Red Turtle Photobook), 2020. ISBN 978-1-5136-6415-6. Edition of 600 copies.
Where The Birds never sing (Bengali Version)
Kolkata: (Mandas,India), 2024. ISBN 978-93950-65450. Edition of 500 copies.
Selected Reviews & Critics :
The New York Times | ArtReview Asia | Platform | Wired | Granta | British Journal of Photography |
Indian Express | Better Photography | BBC Online | Mint Lounge | Condé Nast | Art Monthly UK |
The Huffington Post | The Caravan | Harmony | Cosmopolitan | Scroll.in |
Selected Online Talks :
In conversation with Ranu Roychoudhuri, a scholar of modern and contemporary art in South Asia.
: https://vimeo.com/842436869
In conversation with Sarah Meister, Curator of Museum of Modern Art.
: https://youtu.be/QoFI_H0JQZUIn conversation with Sabih Ahemed, creative Head of Ishara Art Foundation (Dubai).
: https://vimeo.com/487559645