Krishnaraj Chonat is a contemporary Indian artist born in 1973 in Chennai He graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from Karnataka Chitra-Kala Parishad, Bangalore He got his MA in sculpture in 1996 from MS University, Baroda 

 

Krishnaraj Chonat is a sculptor and installation artist and he is known for using unique materials for his sculptures like Sandalwood Soap and e-waste He is committed to showcasing the impact of technology on our everyday life and therefore his creations leave a long-lasting impression on people, instigating them to confront the harsh realities of living in luxury and the consequent environmental degradation 

 

Krishnaraj Chonat was selected for various artist residency programs including the one at EGIDE and Indo-French Academy for the Arts, Paris in 2003, Winter Artist in Residency Programme at AFFA Paris in 2006, and ‘New Installations by Artists from India’ residency at The Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh, the USA

 

Krishnaraj Chonat has extensively exhibited both nationally and internationally over the years He participated in a group exhibition titled ‘Paris-Delhi-Bombay’ which was presented at Centre Pompidou in Paris in 2011 He has showcased at places like the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul and the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo Some of his solo exhibitions include ‘Lotus Eaters’ at GallerySke, New Delhi in 2015; ‘All Sunsets are Sunsets’ at Nature Morte, New Delhi in 2013; ‘My hands smell of you’, GallerySke, Bangalore in 2010; ‘Island’, GallerySke at Project 88, Mumbai in 2007; ‘Ideal Living’, GallerySke, Bangalore in 2004; ‘Sinister White’, Sakshi Gallery, Bangalore (cat) in 2002; and ‘The Rehearsal’, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishad, Bangalore in 2000   

 

His works were exhibited at most notable venues such as New Delhi, Centre Pompidou in Paris, Mori Museum, Tokyo, Essl Museum, Vienna, the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, Devi Art museum, and many more  

 

He received scholarships from the Karnataka Lalit Kala Academy and Ramkumar Kejriwal Scholarship He was invited as a resident artist at EGIDE and Indo-French Academy for the Arts, Paris in 2003; winter residence artist at AFFA, Paris in 2006; represented India as a new installation artist at The Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh in 2007; and Artist in Residence Programme, Art Omi Residency, Omi International Arts Centre, New York in 2015 

 

He is settled in Bangalore