Samit Das’s compositions are a juxtaposition of time and space. The artist creates multiple layers and remarkable forms using urban architecture as his points of reference and departure. His oeuvre comprises photographs, collages, paintings and drawings, at times combining multiple mediums in a single creation. He also builds interesting textures in his works, some tactile while others are only visual.

Speaking about his focus on cities and urban space, the artist says “One cannot hinder or deny the inexorable growth of cities: as an artist I am interested in what ways and to what extent this growth takes place. Probably there is no end to the growth of a city and we have to create our own `spaces’ in an effort to retain a level of sustainability for humans within the built habitat. Cities must live with their history, their juxtaposition of architecture, and their complex relationship to time.”

There is a raw intensity in Das’s compositions. The unfinished lines and distorted perspective gives the viewer a sense of incompleteness, and the random paths of movement create numerous layers of infinite depth, evoking curiosity.

Born in 1970, in Jamshedpur, Das completed his Bachelor’s degree in painting at Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan, in 1994, followed by his master’s degree from the same university in 1996. In 2000, he participated in the Associate Student Post Graduate Program at the Camberwell College of Art, London. His most recent solo shows include those held at Art Indus, New Delhi, in 2009; Delaye Saltoun, London, in 2008; and Anant Art Gallery, New Delhi; Apparao Gallery at Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra, New Delhi; Gallery 88, Kolkata; all in 2007. Amongst his group shows are `Manthan` presented by Nitanjali Art Gallery at Galerie Romain Rolland, New Delhi, in 2009; `Deep In Black` at Galerie Muller and Plate, Munich, in 2009; `Nature of the City` at Religare Arts Initiative, New Delhi, in 2008-09; `Bricks and Mortar` at Hacienda Art Gallery, Mumbai, in 2008; and ‘India: Maximum City’ at Galerie Helene Lamarque, Paris, in 2007.