08/05/2026
Seagull presents
Drawing Breath
Mahmud Husain Laskar
Opening
Wednesday, 13 May 2026, 6 p.m.
BIRLA ACADEMY OF ART & CULTURE
[Second floor] 108-109 Southern Avenue, Calcutta
Exhibition on view from 14 - 22 May 2026.
3 - 8 p.m. [Monday closed]
My work explores human relationships, childhood memories, fleeting reveries, and the interconnectedness of existence, often infused with a sense of nostalgia. I do not consciously seek to analyse, reason, or philosophise; instead, I allow my imagination to wander freely.
Painting, for me, is an intensely physical and immersive process—one in which the boundaries between myself and the work gradually dissolve. Fantasy plays a vital role in my practice. Dreams—about life, the future, the past, and the present—continuously surface and find their way into my paintings.
I have been working for the past three years for this exhibition, Drawing Breath. I see all the series within it as deeply interconnected, each body of work emerging from and feeding into the other. Drawing remains at the core of my practice; it is the foundation from which all my works evolve. I do not distinguish between my large canvases and my smallest works on paper—each medium offers its own possibilities, and I fully embrace and enjoy these differences.
Working from a very small studio, I am especially excited to see these works come together and expand within the larger space of the gallery.
Mahmud Husain (b. 1978) has been a practicing artist for more than two decades. He completed his BFA from Santiniketan in 2002 and his MFA from the College of Art, New Delhi, in 2004.
His notable solo exhibitions include the Kobe Biennale, Japan (2007); Apparao Gallery, Chennai (2008); Seagull Foundation for the Arts, Kolkata (2011, 2013); India Habitat Centre, New Delhi (2013, 2018, presented by Seagull Foundation for the Arts); Bihar Museum, Patna (2019); and an online solo exhibition on Artsy, supported by Seagull Foundation for the Arts (2020).
He was selected for the 48th National Exhibition of Art, organised by Lalit Kala Akademi, in 2006. He has also participated in the National Art Camp, Mizoram (Lalit Kala Akademi, 2019); National Art Festival, Gangtok (Lalit Kala Akademi, 2019); and an art camp in Kyoto, Japan (2007).
His group exhibitions include shows in Tokyo, Munich (Gallery Müller & Plate, 2003), and Seoul (Hybrid Trends, 2006), among many others.
Mahmud Husain is the recipient of the Ravi Jain Award (2002), the Camlin Professional Category Award (2003), and the National Academy Award by Lalit Kala Akademi (2006).
His works are held in private collections across Japan, Singapore, Germany, Canada, the UK, and the USA, as well as in prominent institutional and corporate collections including Gallery Müller & Plate (Munich), Gibsone Jessop Gallery (Toronto), the Ruia Group (Dunlop), MAP (Bengaluru), the Neotia Group (Kolkata), Lalit Kala Akademi, and Seagull Foundation for the Arts, Kolkata.
His art reflects the inner world of man—their dreams, fantasies, and insecurities. The artist lives and works in Greater Noida.
