Jiban Biswas

Jiban Biswas, a contemporary Indian artist known for bold, richly layered paintings that explore the tension between rural tradition and urban modernity. Raised near Santiniketan, he began creating as a child, assisting his uncle with traditional Durga idol-making, then studied at the Government College of Art & Craft, Kolkata, and has painted professionally for two decades.

Biswas's canvases are distinguished by vivid colour and recurring animal imagery — most notably cows adorned with tattoos, piercings, and headphones in his ongoing "Cosmic Cow" series, a witty meditation on identity amid India's modernization. His work carries nostalgic undertones, drawing on influences from Ganesh Pyne and Vikas Bhattacharya to Picasso and Dalí.

His work has been exhibited across India, London, and Amsterdam, and collected by Emami Group and Fort Group. A 2003 Ravi Jain Memorial Scholarship recipient, he also teaches part-time at the Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata.