Abhilasha—Artist-Researcher, Educator
Dr. Abhilasha Pandey is a visual artist, researcher, and educator whose interdisciplinary practice bridges ecological thought, community engagement, and contemporary visual art. She holds a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts (Painting) from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and has recently submitted her doctoral thesis at Kala Bhavana, Visva-Bharati University. Her research, “Ecosophy in Praxis: Art Practice as an Interdisciplinary Approach to Social Engagement and Ecological Sustainability,” critically addresses ecosophical frameworks and art’s role in shaping environmental discourse.
Her work investigates the intersection of indigenous knowledge systems and sustainable living through socially engaged and collaborative art projects, grounded in both painting and mixed media. Moving beyond conventional aesthetics, she integrates environmental activism and decolonial methodologies into her practice.
Site-specific ecological concerns—such as soil restoration, conservation, and the erosion of commons—are central to her projects, which emphasize lasting relationships between artists and communities. By embracing participatory, dialogical, and relational approaches, Dr. Pandey fosters co-creation, empowerment, and collective reflection.
Her painterly practice evokes the fragility of nature and the complexities of our shifting relationship with the environment, combining poetic image-making with urgent ecological narratives. Through research, teaching, and international exhibition, she advocates for art as a catalyst for environmental justice, social transformation, and sustainable futures.
Dr. Pandey’s scholarship appears in journals like Art and Deal, Academic Discourse, Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, and EPRA International Journal, and she has presented at national and international conferences and workshops, including the FEINART Summer School in Germany. As an exhibiting artist, her projects have received recognition at significant platforms, including the Anima Mundi Festival at the 57th Venice Biennale.
Most recently, Dr. Pandey has taught as Assistant Professor at Lovely Professional University, Punjab and K.R. Mangalam University, Noida. She is passionate about curriculum innovation and pedagogies that bridge practice, research, and social responsibility, with interests spanning ecological art, indigenous knowledge, socially engaged art, and sustainable living.
Education
2018 - 2024
PhD (Painting Dept.) Kala Bhavana, Visva Bharati
2015 - 2017
MVA (Painting), FFA, M.S. University of Baroda
2011 - 2015
BVA (Painting), FFA, M.S. University of Baroda
Awards
2018
UGC-Junior Research Fellowship Award
2018
Certificate of Honour & Distinction—Miss India Artist of the Year, National Level Women’s Art Competition, People’s Art Foundation
2017-18
‘Madhya Pradesh State Award’ and a Fellowship by Prafulla Dahanukar Art Foundation (PDAF)
2017
‘Woman Artist’ prize at Zonal Level by PDAF
2016
Silver Medal at Zonal Level by PDAF
2015
Jeram Patel Award for best work and a Fellowship by Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S.U
2004
Bronze Medal in Painting organized by Lions Club
2000-2008
National Level Prizes in Painting by Akhil Bhartiya Kalidasa Samaroh, MP
Exhibitions
2019
Selected for International Artist Residency Program at Aria, Tehran, Iran
2017
Group Exhibition “Fading Environments, Fading Cultures” (Four Young Artists’ Exhibition) by Nine Fish Art Gallery, Mumba
2017
Selected for exhibition curated by Luca Curci, Anima Mundi Festival at Palazzo Ca’ Zanardi, The 57th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy
2017
Group Exhibition for selected artists by Lucknow State Lalit Kala Academy, U.P
2016
Group Exhibition by Prafulla Dahanukar Art Foundation held at Nehru Centre, Worli, Mumbai
2016
Group Exhibition by Nexus Art at The Gallery, Amdavad ni Gufa, Ahmedabad