Born in 1955, in Srinagar, Kashmir, Veer Munshi is a noteworthy artist who currently resides and works in Delhi. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Arts from the Kashmir University in 1976. He pursued BFA (Painting) from MSU Baroda, which he completed in 1981. In 1990. He was forced to shift his base to Delhi when his hometown was rendered unsafe to live.
Veer Munshi’s Paintings and Artwork
Munshi’s paintings don’t entertain you; they make you think. His life experiences and the social and political conditions in Kashmir are the subject of his artwork. Through art, he portrays his experiences as an exiled refugee and intends to spread awareness about the life of people in his region. His paintings aptly depict the anger, pain, and fear that eclipse the lives of Kashmiris.
Munshi expresses anguish and sorrow about how the cruelty of a few, destroyed the beauty and serenity of the Kashmir valley. When painting on large canvases, he has often used the theme of how people that he was familiar with, suddenly turned destructive and hence, he had to leave his home and heritage.
Through paintings of overturned houseboats, crushed flowers, and ruined doors and arches, Munshi depicts the bitterness and suffering in the lives of Kashmiris. The figures in his paintings often have hollow or blank eyes that depict negative emotions like despair. The figures are seen surrendering to vultures that prey on them‒again a symbol of helplessness and suffering. A figure that occurs commonly in Munshi’s works of art is that of a puppet master, who is seen controlling others, symbolic of manipulating the future of Kashmiris. Surprisingly, the figure of the puppet master is similar to Munshi himself.
Munshi gives a remarkably different treatment to colours. Reds, oranges, and greens that usually appear cheerful, reflect a certain harshness in Munshi’s paintings. He uses purples and browns to depict danger and fright.
Veer Munshi is indeed a versatile artist, who is aware of his social responsibility. For instance, since the industry of handmade products is prime in Kashmir, Munshi thought of adopting one of them in his paintings and hence included paper mache in his works of art. With the intent of preserving the culture, architecture, and civilization in Kashmir through art, Munshi once took up a photography project of abandoned houses of Kashmiri Pandits.
Once when asked about his work in an interview, Munshi had said that initially he used to portray the beauty of Kashmir in his paintings; however, after being compelled to shift to Delhi due to the chaos and violence in Kashmir, he started giving way to his anger and pain, through his paintings. He sought art as a way to release his stress about the worsening scenario in his city.
Solo Shows
- In 2006, Munshi held a solo show at the Art Alive Gallery in collaboration with the India Habitat Center
- In India, he held shows in Mumbai in 1995 and 2004; and in Delhi in 1992 and 2003
- His international shows include those held in Scotland, Australia, and Geneva in 1996-97
Group Shows
Veer Munshi has participated in several group shows at home in India and abroad. Some notable ones include the 11th Asian Art Biennale held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Trembling Images of Kashmir, held in New Delhi, in 1993, and Ways of Resistance held in New Delhi, in 2002.
Accolades
- Veer Munshi earned a Research Grant Fellowship from Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi, in 1991-92
- He was awarded the Junior Fellowship from Ministry of Culture, Government of India from 1996 to 1998
- He received the Jammu and Kashmir Award for Painting in 2001
- In 2002, he was facilitated with the National Award granted by the Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi
- He has been designing tableaux for the Republic Day Parade, for which he received the best-designed tableaux award in 1997, 1999, and 2002
- In 2003, Munshi was awarded the Krishan Ju Razdan Puruskar by Vichar Manch, New Delhi
- His works have been displayed in several art collections in India such as the National Gallery of Modern Art and in other countries such as the Smart Museum of Art Chicago and at the Indo-Australian Institute Museum, Melbourne, Australia
The life story of this Kashmir-born artist, Veer Munshi, will surely leave you impressed by his talent and distinct style. What makes him stand out is the highly personal element in his paintings, which depict the turmoil in Kashmir, and rather than amusing the viewers, his art works open their eyes to the stark reality in society.
