Jitish Kallat

Jitish Kallat was born in 1974 in Mumbai (Bombay), India. He received his B.F.A. in painting from the Sir J. J. School of Art in Mumbai in 1996. Kallat's paintings are often monumental, his largest painting being 8 x 20 feet (2.5 x 7 meters) in size. His subject matters are often self referential, depicting himself, his wife, and other members of his family. Kallat's methodology involves a heavy reliance on photography, giving his paintings an appearance that resembles popular advertisement. His paintings are created by building up numerous layers of paint and collage that are then allowed to dry. He then peels away portions of the paint layers to create the imagery of his paintings. This methodology also adds to the commercial appearance of his work, he also comments that the rough chipped and graffiti like surfaces in combination of the large sizes gives his paintings the feeling of an old Mumbai wall. Though Jitish Kallat still works and lives in Mumbai he has exhibited internationally including Britain, Germany, and the United States.