Artist Ujjal Dey, born in Bihar, India, in 1992, resides and works in Santiniketan, West Bengal. Presently pursuing a PhD focused on diverse knowledge systems and sustainable methods of natural dye in contemporary art, Dey produces research-based art that is informed by a varied, multi-layered understanding of methods, materials and the history of textile traditions in South Asia.
His works largely explore the traditional relationship with nature, engaging with ideas of tradition, rituals, ecology and landscape. Stylistically, his semi-abstract works are mostly inspired by the ritualistic practice of making alpanas and lepas using khori mati/rice paste and other natural ingredients, Kanthas (quilted fabrics) with layers of old clothes and run stitches, which were used as bed/floor spreads. He perceives the repetitive actions and gestures as iterations of daily mundane activities, which are similar in nature, yet each one is slightly different from the others. The visual narrative in his work with basic forms and impressions of objects generate a dialogue with each other to re-imagine the lost memories associated with personal objects, natural landscapes, and the ritualistic practices of mark-making (lepa/alapana) he saw growing up with.
Dey is also an avid gardener with a comprehensive knowledge of indigenous plants. Other areas of his research thus include the extraction of raw materials from locally available natural resources, developing mordants, dyes and pigments from seeds, leaves, flowers, skins, and bark of different materials such as myrobalan, madder, marigolds, mango, pomegranate, palash, the flame of the forest (Butea Monosperma), onion, catechu, nanatto, indigo, tea, eucalyptus tree, and jackfruit tree bark. He also diligently experiments with traditional dyeing, block-printing methods, painting, and resist techniques on paper and fabric.
