Student Stories: Bonobithi Biswas
We recently caught up with our fantastic student, Bonobithi Biswas. She is currently enrolled in our MFA program in Transdisciplinary New Media and is about to embark on her final year. This was a great opportunity for us to ask her about her artistic journey and how PCA has helped her to grow as an artist.
The Spark of Inspiration
“I learnt to draw around the same time I learnt the alphabet. The visual language has always been my mother tongue. Art began as a refuge. My mentor’s studio became a safe space, from the first time I stepped in there holding my mother’s hand at the age of five. The introvert kid often sought escape from a confused childhood among her crayons and water paints. I remember spending entire afternoons after school with my sketchbooks. Growing up, this safe haven between me and my canvas became a solitary zone, to a point that I refused to show my art until in my late teens. From there to deciding to make a career as an artist took more than a leap of faith. It meant turning the refuge into an adventure.
Studying at PCA: A Period of Growth and Exploration
The past two years in my creative realm has been exactly that: an adventure. From deciding to practise art full time, to breaking boundaries into abstractionism, moving from being a painter to a multidisciplinary artist, my current practice now flows between spaces of painting, drawing, sculpture, visual poetry, digital illustration, augmented reality and virtual reality.
Deciding to pursue a Masters in Transdisciplinary New Media at Paris College of Art was an extension of my desire to expand my artistic practice. Thanks to the program, I have added greatly to my skillset and vision as an artist. Currently, I am working in virtual reality and augmented reality as part of my thesis work. The thematic focus is the South Asian historic-cultural landscape and understanding the fragmentation and layers of post-colonial identity of the developing world.
Answering to the inner hunger to explore constantly has been a deeply freeing process. I no longer feel the need to define myself or my style; instead treat the visual language for what it is: my mother tongue to narrate stories that move me.
Taking a moment here to express my gratitude for this ever-increasing community of beautiful creatives that I am fortunate to be a part of. Every day feels like a learning experience, and above all, an adventure!”
To see more of Bonobithi’s work, please visit her Instagram.
