Prasanta Sahu was born in Orissa in 1968 He was scientifically inclined at first and finished his diploma in electrical engineering from Barapada School of Engineering & Technology, Orissa (1983-86) He later did his BFA in Painting from Kala Bhavana, Santiniketan in 1998 followed by a Masters in Fine Arts from MSU, Baroda in 2000

As an artist, Prasanta’s work often reflects the socio-political happenings of the day Sahu’s paintings which function as social commentary are drawn from personal experience He uses ready images borrowed from myriad sources like newspapers or magazines These images carry specific meanings in their own space and create an edgy co-existence of conflicting values when reorganized within vividly painted areas of the canvas

Sahu, sometimes, deliberately disfigures the surface of his canvas in an attempt to draw comparisons to our social and political environment The violence inflicted on the image, thus, symbolically draws attention to the underlying brutality and hypocrisies of the urban society The crowd, usually represented through a seething mass of faces, forms a familiar theme in his canvases and highlights the complex relation between individual consciousness and collective deeds

Prasanta Sahu has received Nasreen Mohamedi Award in 1999, MS University Gold Medal in 2000 and has participated in numerous national and international shows