Thank you for visiting this site and for your interest in my works.

Artist Resumé
Introductory Statement
Series 1: Masks
Series 2: Fire Eaters
Series 3: American Portraits of the Zeitgeist
My Instagram page
Older Works
Archive (coming soon)

New York Times (14 February, 2024): "...Many more good works are here, including paintings by ... Uday Dhar that borrow Asian patterns and techniques. ...Recent works show the enduring relevance of identity-based collectives, particularly at a time when, as Dhar says on his website, everything is called into question, like “who gets to call themselves American.”

International Examiner (26 February, 2024): "The first work, The Great Mesmer (1992-2023) by Indo-British artist Uday Dhar, is an elaborate painting done in a hodge-podge of studio sweepings, sand, oil and encaustic (just to name a few) – most powerful in scope and a beloved reminder of his South Asian roots. What appears to be a portrait of the artist becomes more of a hypnotic series of swirls, darting eyes and shapes, all floating around a body suspended in space. Most striking of all is the color: intense reds, purples and blues permeate the work, all weaving within a gust of excitement."

Highbrow Magazine (2015): "But it is Uday Dhar's The New Americans, Adam and Eve that gets my vote for the most majestic mixed media painting in the show. Its gigantic masked couple are a worthy pair that could share the stage with some of the artist's favorite predecessors—Dürer, de Kooning and Picasso among them."

In the past, I had many years of works listed on this webpage that I have been very proud of. 

But over the past 4 years, the discourse about immigrants and who gets to call themselves American has preoccupied me, and it has manifested itself in my works. This focus was long present in my works, as I produced different series that explored this theme through various angles and perspectives. It resulted in a diverse set of works that, at its core, had a theme that connected them. It was about finding a visual expression about the experience of immigration – how and what one absorbs from the new circumstances, and what is held onto as a recognition of heritage and pride. 

I am a deeply proud "American artist of South Asian origin". 

Now, with the impact of Covid-19 over these past two years, my works have taken on another aspect and development. My attention has grown more inward, but all the while I seek to explore my primary focus about the experience of immigration. 

I have been mainly producing small works on paper or board. They stand on their own merits. But they also provide a framework of works that I intend to produce, once I am able to return to the studio under changed circumstances. 

With this revamped website, I present at the moment only three series of works on paper, produced over the last months.
You can also visit my Instagram page, where I post new works more regularly.

Regards,
Uday Dhar