Lachhman Rekha III

Acrylic on canvas | 36" X 48"

After spending thirty years in the corporate sector, Pratap SJB Rana succumbed to
the call of his heart and chose to put brush to canvas. His works display an eclectic
style that reflects his wonderful syncretic sensibility. Influenced by his origins in
Nepal, tenures across South East Asia and Sri Lanka, and extensive travels, Pratap's
works are contemporary, transcending borders, languages, religions and traditions.
Through a combination of richness in colour and texture, and spread over a wide
spectrum of thematic interpretations, his resulting works transform standard
notions of realism into uniquely expressive forms of impactful abstractions and
figuratives. Pratap is clearly a thinking artist who paints from the heart which brings
a freshness to each canvas.
Represented by a number of galleries, Pratap’s works are much sought after and
now a part of private collections of prominent collectors in India and abroad.

Pratap currently lives and works in Gurgaon, India.

Group Shows: .

'Within a Frame' / Mojarto / July 2024
'Above & Beyond' / Gallery Artistique, The Oberoi Gurgaon / Dec 2022 - Jan 2023
'Let Me Live' / Gallery Artistique, The Oberoi Gurgaon / 2021

'Within Reach' / Gallerie Nvya, New Delhi / Aug - Sept 2020
'Let Me Live' / The Oberoi Gurgaon / March - April 2020
'Ānanda' / IGI International Airport, Gallerie Nvya / July - October 2019 
'Within Reach X' / Gallerie Nvya, New Delhi / April - June 2019
'Memories & Mindscapes' /IGI International Airport, Gallerie Nvya / March - June 2019 
'Pinot Palette' / Hotel Hyatt, Chandigarh / Artistique Gallery / February 2019
'Utsav' / IGI International Airport, Gallerie Nvya / October 2018 - February 2019
'Mystical Show' / IGI International Airport, Gallerie Nvya / April 2018 - August 2018
'Poetry of Longing' / Pullman New Delhi Aerocity, Gallerie Nvya / Jan - March 2018
'Unconceptual' / IGI International Airport, Gallerie Nvya / Dec 2017 - April 2018
'The Benevolent Gaze' / Ojas Art / 15 Dec 2017- 14 January 2018 
'Bodhi Parv' / BIMSTEC /IGNCA Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts/ Dec 2017
'Resonance' / IGI International Airport, Gallerie Nvya / 5 Sep 2017 - 5 Dec 2017
'Art for Concern Annual Monsoon Show, Mumbai / 6 & 7 July 2017
'Quest' / IGI International Airport, Nvya Delhi / 6 March 2017 - 5 June 2017
'Art for Concern Annual Show', Nagpur / 16 & 17 Feb 2017
'Art for Concern Annual Show', New Delhi / 16 & 17 Feb 2017
'Samsara' / IGI International Airport, Nvya Delhi / 1 Dec 2016 - 31 March 2017
'Art for Concern Annual Show', Hyderabad / 25 & 26 Nov 2016
'Art for Concern Annual Show', Mumbai / 13 Oct 2016
'Niten Arts Annual Exhibition' 2016 / IHC Visual Art Gallery / 4-5 Oct 2016
'Udaan' / IGI International Airport, Nvya Delhi / 1 Sep - 30 Nov 2016
'Affordable Art Fair Singapore' / Singapore / 21 - 24 April 2016
'Conversation' / IGI International Airport, Delhi / 1 March - 31 May 2016
'TAD Arts Annual Exhibition' 2015 / IHC Visual Art Gallery / 19 Nov 2015
'Flight of Expressions' / IGI International Airport, Nvya Delhi / 1 Sep - 1 Nov 2015
'When Boundaries Begin to Fade', IIT Alumni Centre, Chennai / 19 June 2015
'Plenitude' / IGI International Airport, Nvya Delhi / 1 June - 31 Aug 2015
'Eldora Art Show' / Kamalnayan Bajaj Art Gallery, Mumbai / 13 April - 18 April 2015
'Ephemeral / Timeless' / IGI International Airport, Delhi / 1March - 31 May 2015

'The Spirit of Indian Art' / IGI International Airport, Delhi / 12 Dec - 12 Feb 2015
'Amorphous Form' / Gallerie Nvya / 10 Dec - 30 Dec 2014
'Divinity Enshrined' / Gallery Art Spice / 20 Sep -  15 Oct 2014
'TAD Arts Annual Exhibition' 2014 / Visual Art Gallery / 26 - 30 Sep 2014
'Art Bengaluru 2014' / 21 - 30 August 2014 
'Within Reach V' / Gallerie Nvya, New Delhi / July - Aug 2014 
'Zen Moments' / DIAL Artwork project at Terminal 1D, IGI Delhi / March - Aug 2014
Soul Scapes / Gallery Art Spice / March - May 2014
The Winter Tale 2013 / Gallerie Nvya, Delhi / Dec - Feb 2014

Amalgam 2013-14 Prathma collection / DIAL Artwalk project at Terminal 1D, Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi / November - March 2014
DBS Bank HNI Art Preview - 2014
AIFACS 86th All India Annual Exhibition/ December 2013
'Through the looking glass' / Gallery Art Spice/ Nov - Dec 2013 

'Varsha-Sharda' / Delhi International Airport Artwalk/ July - November 2013
TAD at Marriot / Gurgaon / August - September 2013
'Burrowing into the depths of the ordinary' / Gallery Art Spice /June - July 2013
'Within Reach IV' / Gallerie Nvya, New Delhi / May - July 2013 
‘Basanta-Greeshma’ / DIAL Artwalk at Terminal 1D, IGI Airport, Delhi / March -  June 2013
'Completely Contemporary' / Gallerie Nvya, New Delhi / Jan - March 2013
'Hemanta Shishir' / GMR Art Walk/ Terminal 1D, IGI Airport, Delhi / Nov 2012 - March 2013
'Within Reach III' / Gallerie Nvya, New Delhi / May - July 2012 

Solo Shows:
Gallery Archana, Kualalumpur, Malaysia / May 2012

Publication:
Art Houz Gallery's Erotic Calendar 2014

Video / Youtube
Karma and the underdog

Press Mentions
-Hindustan Times / Finding the Boudhha in You / Jan 2018
-NDTV / Mojarto interview / March 2017
-New Indian Express / A late blooming / May 2016
-Blouinartinfo / Art Houz Gallery Releases Erotic 2014 Calendar / Dec 2013
http://in.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/996497/art-houz-gallery-releases-erotic-2014-calendar 
-Live Mint / So Lounge | Erotic Calendar 2014 / Jan 2014
http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/9NUmrnPYChVdjXubA5faXL/So-Lounge--Erotic-Calendar-2014.html 
-New Indian Express / Browse, Buy, Make, Sell Art Online / Aug 2015
www.newindianexpress.com/education/edex/Browse-Buy-Make-Sell-Art-Online/2015/08/24/article2987552.ece
-The Economic Times / Dream Theatre CEO Jiggy George's office is an ode / Jan 2015
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/dream-theatre-ceo-jiggy-georges-office-is-an-ode-to-his-passions/articleshow/46064337.cms
-Afternoon Despatch and Courier /Eldora Art presents (page 7) / April 2015
https://issuu.com/king001/docs/13_april_2015
-The New Indian Express / Where Art has no boundaries / June 2015
http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/528537/The-New-Indian-Express-Chennai/25-06-2015?show=touch#page/23/1
-Delhi Events / The Winter Tale: an Amalgamation / Dec 2013
 http://www.delhievents.com/2013/12/winter-tale-amalgamation-group-art.html
-Little Black Book / LBB Recommends Art Exhibitions for the Art Aleck/ Conversations / April 2015 https://lbb.in/delhi/lbbrecommends-art-exhibitions-for-the-art-aleck-in-delhi/
-FilmUdyogSe Blog / Art Houz Gallery, Chennai, Announces the Release of Its Erotic Calendar / Dec 2013 http://filmudyogse.blogspot.in/2013/12/art-houz-gallery-chennai-announces.html

Workshops conducted & Installations:
Dara Shikoh Festival 2014 Srinagar / August 2014
The Global Education & Leadership Foundation Harmony / November 2014

Represented by:
Gallerie NVYA, Delhi / May 2012 onwards
Gallery Art Houz, Chennai / December 2013 onwards
Veranda Art, Kolkata / October 2014 onwards
Saatchi Art / October 2015 onwards
Mojarto / March 2016 onwards
Gallery Artistique, Gurgaon / April 2018 onwards 
My Indian Art, Kolkata / August 2019 onwards 
Art Alive Gallery, Delhi / Until 2018
Ojas Art, Delhi / Until 2018 
Gallery Art Spice, Delhi / Until 2021

NDTV Prime | On Art | 10 March 2017

Pratap SJB Rana on NDTV Prime | On Art | 10 March 2017

INDEX
(To view a series click on the link)

A Town Named Nostalgia (set of 4 works)
Across Faiths (set of 3 works)
Ashtamangala (set of 2 works)
At the threshold (set of 2 works)
Bhiksham Dehi (set of 9 works)
Celebrating the Chandrabindu (set of 4 works)
Dashavatara (set of 6 works)
Dear Art Lover (set of 2 works)
Dev Bhoomi (set of 4 works)
Divine Resonance (set of 7 works)
Divya Chakshu- The Tenth Gateway (set of 2 works)
Dhyana (set of 12 works)
Fallen Angel (set of 4 works)
Flight (set of 3 works)
Ganga (set of 2 works)
Icelandscape (set of 2 works)
Kendrit (set of 4 works)
Kashi (set of 9 works)
Kochi (set of 4 works)
Lachhman Rekha (set of 3 works)
Memories of a Childhood (set of 5 works)
Miscellaneous works (set of 28 works)
On Hallowed Ground (set of 3 works)
On the wings of fortune (set of 2 works)
Prathamaja - The First Born (set of 2 works)
Ramayana, The Lesser Heroes (set of 7 works)
Rudrani (set of 6 works)
Tabernacle of the Soul (set of 4 works)
The Courtyard of Serenity (set of 3 works)
The Curator (set of 3 works)
The Busker at the Corner (set of 6 works)
The Lotus Buddha (set of 4 works)
The Temple Guardian (set of 7 works)
Trisul (set of 4 works)
Windows of Faith (set of 2 works)

Lachhman Rekha IV

The work has been inspired by the well known incident in the epic Ramayana when the female protagonist, Sita, (right hand in 'abhaya' mudra of fearlessness and left indicating charity or compassion. She is also depicted here by the " the plough" and the Lotus) is persuaded by the antagonist Ravana (asking for "bhiksha" as the alms bowl in the work), to cross the line drawn by Lakshmana, depicted by the footprint across the line, thereby leading to the escalation of the epic to it's climax. The work also depicts the kidnapping of Sita. The horse is representative of the infamous "Apaharan". Also visible is the golden deer of temptation, and in the background is the Shesh Naag (interesting in mythological continuity Ram is the Avatar of Vishnu , who is always protected by the Shesh Naag hence representing Lakshman, and who is the Avatar of the Shesh Naag)

To the artist the crossing of the line by Sita is a point of inflection and has substantial social relevance even today.

Acrylic on canvas | 36" X 48" 
Status: Available via Gallerie Artistique

Dhyana XII

In the work, the artist depicts the swirling random movement of the mind and uncontrolled circumstances that surround us, every moment, often dictating our actions. Thus we react to all that we are surrounded by and enveloped in. The monk is also therefore in a similar situation but appears to emerge out of it, retaining his serenity which is reflected by his posture. This retention of calmness in a tumultuous environment is achieved through Dhyana, the practice of mind control by which we stop all thinking and seek to realize Truth in its essence. Of the many different paths to Nirvana, the most important one  is the path of Dhyana, the practice of “stopping and realizing.”

Acrylic on canvas 48" X 48"

Status: Available via Gallerie Artistique

Trisul IV
Inspired by a visit to the cantonment mountain town of Ranikhet and the outstanding view of Trisul, a group of three Himalayan mountain peaks of western Kumaun, with the highest (Trisul I) reaching 7120 m. The three peaks resemble a trident or  in Sanskrit, Trishula- being the weapon  used by Lord Shiva to protect himself and his devotees from evil.

Acrylic on canvas (48" x 36")
Status: Available via Gallerie Artistique

Stillness

The artist seeks stillness in this time, of constant  shift and instant change, of desires converting to  needs and of greed being the Driving force of a life in turmoil where each moment slips into decay  before the next unknown  presents  itself.
"Stillness"...... That moment of unchanging. It is that pause before the first brush stroke of the painter,  that moment when  the writer's pen hovers over paper , that silence between  two musical notes, and indeed that pause between two breaths, between inhaling and exhaling. It is that brief fleeting moment which is  all around us at all levels, for us to seek.

Acrylic on canvas | 48" X 36"
Status: Available via Gallerie Artistique

Divine Resonance - The Sacred Chant  II
The work attempts to capture a state of inner peace and calmness that is achieved through the philosophy of simple living, a truthful soul and high thinking....that Garden of Tranquility in one's own secret space. The work urges the viewer to contemplate and listen for the resonance of the sound of ripples in the dark and indeed the sound of the blossoming of the lotus.... the power of the resonance of silence.
Acrylic on canvas 48" X 36"  
Status: Available via Gallerie Artistique

Divine Resonance - The Tibetan prayer bell II

A series in progress, depicted here by the Tibetan Prayer bell that seems to resonate deep into the dark spaces of the mind and indeed the significant void of space itself... ushering a sense of peace and spirituality

Acrylic on canvas 50" X 18"
Status: Available via Gallerie Artistique