(November 3, 2025) Art, for Suman Kabiraj, is both a lens and a language, and a way of observing reality, understanding it, and communicating its nuances to others. Whether through brushstrokes or moving images, the artist, filmmaker, and actor aims to tell stories that reveal the complexity, and poetry of human life. “To create art is to engage in a dialogue with the world, where imagination and observation coexist, and where each gesture, form, and colour carries a narrative,” tells Suman Kabiraj, in a chat with Global Indian.
Through drawings, paintings, sculptural installations, and video art, Suman’s creative universe unfolds across continents — from Kolkata to London, Paris, and Seoul. His work connects local memories with global sensibilities, reflecting on migration, environmental degradation, and the human condition in a rapidly transforming world.
Artistic journey
Suman’s artistic journey began in the early 2000s, soon after graduating from the Government College of Art & Craft, Kolkata. Back then, he participated in several major exhibitions in India, including shows at the Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Centre of International Modern Art (CIMA), Aakriti Art Gallery, and the All India Fine Arts & Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi. “These formative experiences helped shape my understanding of contemporary Indian art practice and brought my early works into the public domain,” he recalls.
Global platforms
Over the years, his work has been exhibited widely across India and abroad allowing him to connect with diverse audiences and cultural contexts. Some of the early global platforms that featured his work include the Indian Contemporary Art Show at the National Gallery, Jakarta, the Belfast International Festival at Catalyst Art Gallery, UK, and Liquid Cities & Temporary Identities in Espoo, Finland. His visual narratives also reached audiences at Espacio Enter Europe International Art Preview, the Netherlands Streaming Festival for Audio-Visual Art (UK), and Meme Art Fest, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Dynamic phase
Between 2019 and 2024, Suman entered a particularly dynamic phase. He participated in the Patchlab Digital Art Festival (Krakow, Poland), Taiwan International New Media Festival, Busan International Video Art Festival (Korea), and What Democracy Means to Me at the American Centre, New Delhi, in collaboration with the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art.
“My artistic language focuses on human social conditions, migration, urbanization, environmental degradation, and the transformation of urban spaces,” says Suman, who also presented at the Versopolis Expo’23 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and the Annual PASA Art Festival in Seoul, South Korea. He was selected for the prestigious Florence Biennale (Italy), marking significant recognition of his new media and installation-based practice.
Recent exhibitions
His recent exhibitions in India include Artdemic Paper Arts (2024) presented by the Gujral Foundation, New Delhi, the CIMA Awards Show (2025), and Svikriti — Birla Academy Annual Awardees Show curated by Uma Ray (2025). He also exhibited at Po10tial Studio, Mumbai, as part of Ikattha (2023–24). “My art has always aimed to act as a dialogue between the local and the global, between memory and modernity,” he explains.
From canvas to camera
For Suman, both filmmaking and acting are extensions of his visual philosophy. “The camera, like the canvas, is another tool — a bridge between art and empathy, imagination and reality,” he says. His films portray the resilience and dignity of marginalized communities, and the invisible narratives of labourers, migrants, and street vendors who form the backbone of urban life.
City Dust
His first short film, City Dust, is a seven-minute poetic exploration of the unseen layers of urban life and migration in India’s fast-growing cities. Created in collaboration with Hook Films, it reflects on how the same forces that build our cities often erase the identities of those who sustain them.
City Dust received international recognition, screening at the Madavera Expojour JazzTimes Film Festival (USA), Cefalù Film Festival (Italy), Audience Awards Short Film Festival (USA), First Time Filmmaker Sessions (UK), and Lift-Off Short Film Festival (UK).
Boby
His second short documentary, Boby, tells the touching life story of a young girl from Suri, West Bengal, who lives with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS). Through quiet, observational storytelling, the film becomes a reflection on empathy, acceptance, and the quiet beauty of human difference. Boby was screened at the Kuala Lumpur International Film Awards Festival (Malaysia) and the River International Film Festival (West Africa).
Acting stint
Suman also appeared in the docu-feature Mind and Canvas, directed by Carsar Das and produced by the Films Division of India. Playing a young painter, he explores how individuals express inner worlds through art, transforming memory and emotion into visual form.
Early life and influences
Born in Suri, Birbhum district of West Bengal, Suman grew up in a creative atmosphere. His father, a banker by profession, was also a passionate folk singer and writer, while his mother was a homemaker. During school at Birbhum Zilla School, Suman loved cricket but was most drawn to art. His father encouraged his passion, gifting him a series of books titled Great Artists, which opened a new world of artistic imagination. His art teacher, Sajal Mitra, further shaped his creative discipline.
As a child, Suman devoured exhibition reviews, fascinated by the visuals and language of art criticism. Through those pages, he discovered the works of Abanindranath and Gaganendranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, Ramkinkar Baij, Amrita Sher-Gil, and Ganesh Pyne — names that profoundly influenced his artistic vision. By his higher secondary years, he was determined to pursue art seriously, sketching people in markets and fairs, capturing their essence in motion. The years at the Government College of Art & Craft, Kolkata, helped him establish his own visual language.
Turning Point: London and Paris
Visiting London and Paris marked a turning point in Suman’s artistic evolution. “These cities are like living museums, where every corner holds a story of creativity and evolution,” he says.
In London, he spent long hours at the Tate Modern, Tate Britain, National Gallery, and Victoria and Albert Museum studying curatorial methods and spatial dialogues. The British Museum and Saatchi Gallery deepened his understanding of how art negotiates between history and the present.
In Paris, he explored the Louvre’s vast collection and smaller galleries around Montmartre and Le Marais, engaging with emerging artists and curators. “What struck me most was how these cities preserve their heritage while continuously reinventing their art landscape,” he reflects.
What’s Next
Suman is currently working on a new project exploring urban growth and environmental imbalance in Indian cities, along with short documentary films that extend his practice beyond galleries. “My goal is to continue bridging art, social consciousness, and public engagement,” he says.
He also plans to participate in international art residencies that foster cultural dialogue, and to work with rural and underprivileged children through art therapy programs. His long-term dream is to establish a multidisciplinary art and learning institution dedicated to nurturing young talent and connecting art with community life.
Beyond the easel
Photography remains one of Suman’s foremost hobbies. He loves capturing fleeting human emotions in both rural and urban spaces. His images often serve as visual archives that later inspire his artworks and films. He has also created portraits for renowned publishing houses.
Suman occasionally sings folk songs that remind him of his Birbhum roots. “The earthy rhythms, lyrical storytelling, and raw emotions of folk traditions deeply move me,” he says. A writer at heart, Suman often reflects on art, life, and social change. “True creativity cannot be measured or enhanced by external validation. It grows from an artist’s inner world, honesty, and the courage to express truthfully,” he sums up.
- Follow Suman Kabiraj on Instagram
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Great, thanks for the feature ❤✨
Bright and Beautiful, thanks GI