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About A.M
Hailing from the culturally rich city of Kolkata, Ayan Mukherjee’s journey as an independent curator and interdisciplinary art practitioner is deeply intertwined with his artistic heritage. Born into a family that ran a professional art framing workshop during the early 1990s, A.M was introduced to the world of art at a young age. This environment not only honed his craftsmanship but also instilled an enduring passion for creative expression.
Growing up surrounded by the works of renowned artists and frequenting their studios, A.M developed a profound understanding of the creative process. These interactions offered him firsthand insights into the diverse practices of visual art, also fostering a deep connection to the vibrant artistic legacy of Kolkata while inspiring him to explore new frontiers in contemporary art. This rich foundation has profoundly shaped A.M’s nuanced approach to both curatorial work and artistic practice.
He pursued his formal education in the History of Art at Kala Bhavana, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan, and at Rajya Charukala Bhavan in Kolkata. Additionally, he holds a B.A. from Calcutta University.
- The Trajectory of An Ayan Mukherjee Curation
A.M. seeks to transcend the conventional paradigm of art exhibitions, where curators traditionally act as bridges between artists and audiences. His approach goes beyond the customary responsibilities of discovering artists, selecting artworks, and contextualizing them within the design of an exhibition. Furthermore, A.M. aspires to craft autonomous narratives that unfold within the exhibition space itself.
These narratives emerge through continuous dialogues and dynamic interactions with his artistic collaborators and colleagues. A.M. identifies himself as a storyteller—a poet, musician, and writer—whose creative expressions, including poems, essays, music, and soundscapes, enrich the projects he curates. These elements create deeper opportunities for reflection, realization, and the expansion of the narrative framework.
By broadening the scope of each project, A.M. provides a platform to articulate emotions, convey ideas, and foster communication across diverse artistic practices. As a result, his exhibitions transform into meaningful, multidimensional experiences, breathing life into nuanced narratives and redefining the traditional exhibition format as immersive and resonant.
By fostering an environment where the curator actively facilitates dialogue and expression, the traditional constraints on the creative self are dismantled. Within this unconventional framework, the freedom of artistic expression flourishes, highlighting the curator’s role in transforming exhibitions from showcases into immersive and expressive experiences that resonate deeply with both artists and audiences alike.
From the very beginning, A.M. aspired to delve deeply into the psyche of the artist, collaborating with them to create mesmerizing works of art that unfold before the viewer. His distinctive practice and the profound responses it garnered from audiences eventually led to the birth of his brainchild, ‘A.M. Studio.’
This space became his personal haven for experimentation and exploration, serving as a platform to navigate metaphorical, bold, and symbolic art. Through A.M. Studio, he engages with diasporic thoughts, diverse perspectives, individual philosophies, and intricate readings of life, its characters, and its dimensions.
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A.M shares ...
“As an interdisciplinary artist and curator, my artistic practice transcends the boundaries of a single medium, grounded in thoroughness, specificity, and an intimate connection to my emotions. Rooted in personal reflections, my practice evolves intuitively through collaborations that nurture collective, diasporic dialogues. The thoughts and notions find expression across a range of independent mediums, including visual art, poetry, music, theatre, and film/video.
My creative process centres on exploring and uncovering both individual and collective histories, weaving together stories, ideologies, philosophical insights, and psychologies. By interlacing these elements, I explore narratives that open wider spaces for engagement, communication, expression, and context. Each project remains intentionally open-ended and inclusive, inviting diverse voices and perspectives —whether through engagement with local communities, artists from different disciplines, or the unique sites where a specific project unfolds.
My practice is deeply informed by my life and serves as a means of investigation, understanding, and connection. By engaging with both individual and collective vocabularies, I aim to resonate across contrasting social structures, fostering meaningful dialogue and connection, my work strives to create spaces where personal and collective experiences intersect, enriching the shared human narrative.
For me, an exhibition is just another tool, much like a visual art object, a poetry, a song, or a film—a space where the world I perceive and realize within finds its voice and is shared with the world outside.”
Ayan Mukherjee
Kolkata, India