Being born and brought up in Khairlanji village in Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh, Nishchay Thakur is a son of the soil who carries and reflects his values in his works earned from rural community and farming practices.
From engraving walls to mixed media sculptures and working with organic and farming materials like mud, cow dung, paddy straws, and husk- Nishchay works in a wide range of mediums. Inherently attached to the cultural identity, the innovative, tactile works contemplate the rapidly changing socio-cultural identity of rural India while some of the works throw back the memories attached to a village childhood and some works reflect on the gradual loss of traditional community life.
Biography
Being born and brought up in Khairlanji village in Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh, Nishchay Thakur is a son of the soil who carries and reflects his values in his works earned from rural community and farming practices. After completing his graduation in Fine Arts from IKS University, Chhattisgarh, the artist shifted to Delhi to pursue a Fine Arts Master's. Despite the capital city presenting its fast, cosmopolitan, urban, and digitized dynamic as a wind of brutal change to the mind, Nishchay kept adapting to the new and remained deeply attached to his roots. During the outbreak of COVID-19, he spent considerable time in his village while developing and strengthening an art practice consciously built with organic materials, reflecting cultural identities, commenting on climate issues and sustainable values, and confronting the socio-political scenarios as per memories and authentic experiences.
From engraving walls to mixed media sculptures and working with organic and farming materials like mud, cow dung, paddy straws, and husk- Nishchay works in a wide range of mediums. Inherently attached to the cultural identity, the innovative, tactile works contemplate the rapidly changing socio-cultural identity of rural India while some of the works throw back the memories attached to a village childhood and some works reflect on the gradual loss of traditional community life.
Some of the distinguished accolades of the artist include the Ravi Jain Memorial Award by Dhoomimal Gallery (2023), the Inception Grant (2022) by Art Incept Gallery, National Lalit Kala Scholarship (2022-23) and others. His recent exhibitions include ‘Trouvaille’ group show at Art Konsult (2023), Art for Climate Action at the National Crafts Museum(2023), ‘ W W W W’ group show at Bikaner House, 2022, ‘ Equally Guaranteed to All without Regards’ group show at IHC Delhi(2022), Kochi Muziris Students Biennale (2021) and many more. The artist currently lives and works in New Delhi, India.