Biographical Text
Amar Kanwar (b.1964, lives in New Delhi, India) has distinguished himself through films and multi-media works, which explore the politics of power, violence and justice. his multi-layered installations originate in narratives often drawn from zones of conflict and are characterised by a unique poetic approach to the personal, social and political. Recent solo exhibitions of Kanwar’s work have been held at the Goethe institut/ Max Mueller Bhavan, Mumbai, India (2016); Assam State Museum in collaboration with Kiran Nadar Museum of Art and North East Network, India (2015); Art Institute of Chicago, United States (2013–2014); Yorkshire Sculpture Park, United Kingdom (2013–2014); Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary (TBA 21), Vienna, Austria (2013–2014); and foto- museum Winterthur, Switzerland (2012). Recent group exhibitions have been pre- sented at Local Stories/Global Practices, mde’15, Medellin, Colombia (2015); Experiments with Truth: Gandhi and Images of Nonviolence, Menil collection, Houston, United States (2015); Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis, United States (2014); Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi, India (2014); 56th Carnegie International, United States (2013); Guggenheim Museum, New York, United States (2013 and 2012); 13th Istanbul Biennial, Turkey (2013); 5th Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, russia (2013); 11th Sharjah Biennial, United Arab Emirates (2013); the 1st Kochi-Muziris Biennale, India (2012–2013); and Bristol Museum, United Kingdom (2013). Kanwar has also participated in documenta 11, 12 and 13 in Kassel, Germany (2002, 2007, 2012). other solo exhibitions have been at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2008); Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, United Kingdom (2007); National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo, Norway (2006); and Renaissance Society, Chicago, United States (2004). Kanwar has been the recipient of awards such as the Leonore Annenberg prize for art and social change (2014); an honorary doctorate in fine arts, Maine College of Art, United States (2006); the first Edvard Munch award for contemporary art, Office for Contemporary art, Norway (2005); the mac- arthur fellowship in india (2000); the Golden Gate award, San Francisco International Film Festival, United States (1999); as well as the Golden Conch, Mumbai International Film Festival, India (1998). Retrospectives of his films have been held at film festivals including the 5th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala, India (2012); the 13th Madurai International Documentary and Short Film Festival, India (2011); The Documentary Dream Show, Tokyo, Japan (2010); the Parallel Perspectives Film Festival, Hyderabad, India (2008); and the 9th International Short Film Festival, Bangladesh (2005).