Paula Sengupta

Statement

Dr. Paula Sengupta, born in 1967, is a multifaceted artist, academic, curator, researcher, and writer based in Kolkata. Her work spans diverse materials and techniques, including found objects, hand embroidery, chintz, muslin, woodblock, nakshi kantha, and appliqué. Paula’s artistic creations take many forms—broadsheets, artist’s books, installations, performances, and community art projects—often centering on the domestic space and the lives of women, addressing the constraints of patriarchy and traditional gender roles. Her art also critically examines the impact of colonial rule, skillfully blending elements of the East and West. This dual exploration reflects her personal and family history, using text both as historical document and poetic expression. Her work captures the deeply personal narrative of longing for her ancestral home in Bangladesh while expressing the trauma of exile, forced migration, and the lasting effects of displacement that began with Partition in 1947.

Paula is also an accomplished author, known for *The Printed Picture: Four Centuries of Indian Printmaking*, published by DAG in New Delhi, and *Foreign & Indigenous Influences in Indian Printmaking*, published by LAP Lambert Academic Publishing in Germany.

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