Bilash Sardar

Bilash Sardar is an art historian, curator, and educator, researcher, currently pursuing his Ph.D. inthe Department of Art History at Kala Bhavana, Santiniketan, with a Senior Research Fellowship.His research explores curatorial strategies for public art in irregular venues, focusing on contemporary enablers and practices.

He earned his Master’s degree (2017) and Bachelor’s degree (2015) from the Department of Art History and Aesthetics at Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda. Over the years, Bilash has curated several notable exhibitions and festivals, including Chai ki Chuski (2016), Retables of St. Thomas Churches (2017), the Sreemesha Art Studio Annual Exhibition(2017), and the Saptasajya Festivals in 2019 and 2021.Bilash taught Art History at Utkal University of Culture, Bhubaneswar. Previously, he worked as the Centre Administrator and In-house Curator at Utsha Foundation, Bhubaneswar, specializing in contemporary art. He also played a pivotal role as a core team member of Bhubaneswar Art Trail 2018, Odisha’s largest public art project. Bilash worked as Centre Co-ordinator at Arthshila Santiniketan.

In addition to his curatorial achievements, Bilash has contributed as a young researcher with Daastaan Mediacommunication, where he worked on the translation of Parikrama of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He has worked on archival projects on Sajjad Zaheer, a prominent Urdu writer and founding member of the Communist Party of India and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, the founder of Gaudiya Mission and world Harekrishna movement.

Bilash’s passion for public art extends to graffiti and street art, which influence his ongoing resea and practice. He has attended numerous seminars and workshops on exhibition curation and paper conservation, further enriching his knowledge and expertise.