Overview
As part of AHAT 2024, the Art Sanctuary Foundation will feature four distinct and unique artists
Pravakar Maharana and Ratnakar Maharana - master artisans who bring a 2000-year-old Indian craft of stone carving and 12th-century Pattachitra (cloth-based scroll) paintings
Subhasini Balasubramanian -classical music inspired paintings (water colour and acrylics)
Sarasa Krishnan - dance/movement-based paintings (acrylics)
We are open between 10am to 4pm on the following days:
8th Nov - 10th Nov
14th Nov - 17th Nov
On other days between 8th to 17th Nov, we are open by appointment
About our Artisans
Pravakar Maharana and Ratnakar Maharana
Indian Master Sculptors - Master Artists in Residence
Pravakar Maharana is an acclaimed Indian sculptor and painter from Odisha, recognized for his 50+ years of dedication to Indian stone sculpturing. He received the Padma Shri in 2018 for his significant contributions to traditional sculpture art.
Born near the Surya Temple of Konark, Odisha, Pravakar showed an early talent for drawing and painting, often sketching art forms from local temples. His father, the Late Sri Sadhu Charan Maharana, a wood carving artist, enrolled him at the “State Handicrafts Training Centre” in Bhubaneswar in 1975 for stone sculpture training.
Pravakar credits his success to his father and his Guru, the Late Sri Satyabadi Moharana, a National Awardee. He further honed his skills under Sri Lal Mohan Moharana and has trained over 90 students through the Guru Shishya Parampara of the Development Commissioner (Handicraft), Govt. of India. Many of his students now work at the Akshardham Temple in New Delhi.
Pravakar Maharana’s works are distinct and celebrated by artists nationwide. His primary goal is to revive the Konark Kala art form, ensuring its survival and providing artisans with a dignified livelihood.
Ratnakar Maharana
Sri Ratnakar Maharana is a master stone carver from Odisha, India, known for his exceptional craftsmanship and dedication to preserving traditional stone carving. Born near the Sun Temple of Konark in 1970, Ratnakar comes from a family with a rich legacy in temple craftsmanship, responsible for building Odisha’s iconic temples like Konark, Jagannath, and Lingaraj.
Trained at the Konark Stone Carving Training Centre, he began formal training in 1984, later earning the State Award in Stone Carving in 1989 from the former Chief Minister of Odisha, Sri Biju Patnaik. Ratnakar was also recognized with the National Award for Stone Sculpture in 1996, presented by former Prime Minister Sri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and has since received other prestigious honors, including the Kalanidhi, Kala Shree, and Kala Mani awards.
Guided by the principles of Shilpa Sastra and Abhinava Darpana, Ratnakar has dedicated his life to upholding the legacy of Odisha’s ancient stone craft. He has trained over 500 young artisans in the traditional techniques, ensuring the art form’s future. Internationally acclaimed, Ratnakar continues to inspire audiences and artisans around the world with his work, representing the spirit and cultural heritage of Odisha’s stone art.
Subahsini Balasubramanian
Subhashini Maniam is a Western Australia-based artist and educator with over 20 years of experience contributing to arts communities across India, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Western Australia. With a strong foundation in both visual arts and music, she is passionate about cross-cultural integration and sharing her knowledge with younger generations. As the granddaughter of the artist Maniam, her artistic journey began in Chennai, India, where she trained under her father, renowned illustrator Maniam Selven.
Subhashini holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Stella Maris College and a Master’s in Contemporary Art Practice from the University of Huddersfield. Trained in Carnatic vocal music and the Veena, her work explores the relationship between sound and visual form, drawing inspiration from traditional Indian Ragamala paintings. A member of the Watercolour Society, Subhashini also enjoys plein air painting.
Sarasa Krishnan
Sarasa Krishnan is an Indian classical dancer, visual artist and author who has performed, exhibited and lectured in Europe, UK, USA, Australia and Asia. Sarasa’s unique style of painting is movement based and uses rhythm to infuse colour onto canvas. Her work reflects the philosophy, aesthetics and the metaphysical abstractions of the Indian tradition. While her exploration of movement-on-canvas with movement- in-space, within uncommon performance structures have been well received around the world, her large canvases, elucidating complex metaphysical concepts, kindle a rare and intense energy in the viewer.
In 2014, Sarasa published her first book entitled Bharata's Karanas that is based upon the 108 Karanas in Sage Bharata’s Natya Shastra. The book explores the intimate connection between philosophical enquiry and artistic endeavours, and their arguably parallel journey in unveiling the diversely complex and multifarious processes involved in perception, awareness and insight in cognising experience. In 2016, Sarasa was awarded her PHD at Murdoch University, Perth, that explored the role and function of the observer in a staged performance, with particular reference to the Indian aesthetic theory of Rasa, and its effect on what we mean by consciousness.