Jiban Biswas

“I was born in a village, and grew up in midst of nature and animals. And when I came to Kolkata, I was over-whelmed by the city and the modern trends of the times; I was even afraid to walk inside a shopping mall!

This is when the cow became the metaphor of my own self, a common person from the village, who is trying to understand the trends of modernity, with a sense of curiosity, ignorance and bewilderment.

The cow is also symbolic of a mindset/ culture/ tradition that is gradually transforming itself by imbibing the influences of the globalized world.

I love animals, and use them as symbols, metaphors and a representation of certain states of mind.

The alligator or crocodile is now used as a symbol of problems/ dangers.

I have noticed, as we fight to free ourselves from our problems, they somehow become part of our lives, and we get habituated to live alongside with them, and our life suddenly appears vacant and empty, without our life-long problems!

Such sudden revelations influence my works. And there is always a sense of humor – a part of my own nature – that seeps through into my artistic expressions”.

Jiban Biswas ( B. 1982 in a village in Birbhum, Bengal ) – Graduated from an art college in Kolkata, where he lives and works.