Debashish Paul, born in 1994 in Nadia district in West Bengal, explores the problems of queer identity in a society dominated by heterosexual norms. Paul has done his BFA from The Indian college of Art and Draftsmanship in sculpture, Kolkata, and he completed his master’s degree in sculpture from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi in 2021.
Paul performed live at The Prince Claus Fund Biennial Symposium 2023, Sri Lanka; Open Day Performance at Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris, 2023 as part of PRAF Artist in Residence; India Art Fair 2023, New Delhi; French Institute of India, New Delhi, India; Residency and Performance Art Program curated by HH Art Space Foundation and Nikhil Chopra in collaboration with Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2022-23, Kochi, India. He is also a recipient of the 2022-23 Prince Claus Seed Fund; Kalanad Scholarship 2022 – 23 from the Prafulla Dahanukar Art Foundation; 2022 Inlaks Fine Art Award, Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation; Allegro 1st prize 2021, Contemporary LYNX, UK; The India Artist Relief Fund-2021 (MAP in partnership with 1Shanthiroad Studio/Gallery). Debashish Paul was part of Art Dusseldorf 2023. He was one of the artists in residence at the India Art Fair 2023. His other notable exhibitions include Beyond Binaries: Sensing Art through Queer Lensing-2021 at KCC, Kolkata; the Student's Biennale -2021, Kochi; Kala Sakshi Workshop-2021, Emami Art Open Call Exhibition -2020, Kolkata; Of Liminal Beings and Other Spaces curated by Ushmita Sahu -2021, Emami Art, Kolkata; The Spring at Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata in 2019.
Debashish Paul lives and works in Varanasi.