Excavating the Modern from the Premodern: How the Bengal School Shaped Indian Modern Art

In this conversation, Vikram Zutshi and Debashish Banerji talk to Samit Das about his art practice. Samit Das is a contemporary Indian artist based in New Delhi, who engages with Indian history through its archives. He was educated at Kala Bhavan in Shantiniketan and developed an abiding interest in the Bengal School of Art and the early history of Indian nationalism as represented in Bengal. He is also fascinated by proto-historic and aboriginal histories and how they have contributed to the vocabulary of Indian forms. This conversation explores these interests as well as Das' engagement with the changing landscapes of modern Indian cities such as Kolkata, Jamshedpur (where he was born), Shantiniketan and Delhi.