Artist Marcel Dzama talks to Dhruvi Acharya about his fantastical drawings and illustrations, most of which are inspired by and comment on everyday, real-world issues. The talk will be followed by a signing of Marcel’s new books and zines produced exclusively for India Art Fair in the Bookshop & Cafe. 

Marcel Dzama was born in Winnipeg, Canada, where he received his BFA from the University of Manitoba. Dzama’s first major museum exhibition, Marcel Dzama: The Lotus Eaters, took place in 2005 at Centre d’Art Santa Mònica, Barcelona, which traveled to Le Magasin – Centre National d’Art Contemporain de Grenoble, France. Other notable solo exhibitions include those organised by Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague, Museo de Arte de Zapopan, Mexico and Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Málaga, Spain.

Dhruvi Acharya’s work focuses on the psychological and emotional aspects of an urban woman’s life in a world teeming with discord, violence and pollution. Employing a subtle, dark and wry humour, the work draws viewers into a world where thoughts are as visible as “reality”, and where the protagonists live and metamorphose by the logic of that world. She has held solo exhibitions with Chemould Prescott Road in Mumbai, Nature Morte in New Delhi and Kravets/Wehby in New York. Her major projects include a 32-foot mural for JSW in Mumbai, a 16-foot work for the Mumbai Airport and a “painting as performance” project in New Delhi. Her selected participations include shows at the San Jose Museum of Art in San Jose, Chatrapati Shivaji Museum in Mumbai, Griffith University in Brisbane, Spazio Oberdan in Milan, Webster University in St Louis, BosePacia Modern in New York, National Gallery of Modern Art in Mumbai and the Queens Museum of Art in New York. The artist lives and works in Mumbai.