SAMARTH MANOJBHAI MISTRY India, b. 1997

Samarth Manojbhai Mistry (b. 1997, Bilimora, Gujarat, India) completed his BFA in Sculpture at the Surat School of Fine Arts, 2019 and MFA in Sculpture at Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda, 2021. His works have been exhibited in group shows at  Goa Affordable Art Fest, Goa 2019, MSU, Baroda, 2020, 2021, Abir, First Take, Ahmedabad, 2021 and Ahmedabad Ni Gufa, 2022. 

Samarth uses Olefin as a medium for his sculptures, which he discovered while working in his father’s shop during the COVID-19 lockdown. Being a stronger, harder, waterproof and non-rusting material with more longevity, he saw the potential in it to replace wood affirmatively. Experimenting with the material’s possibilities, textures and colours, he translates visuals of the surrounding scenes, perceived landscape, forms and ideas into sculptures of Olefin. Finding joy in the process, his methods mirror those of a craftsman working with wood, a generational tradition in his family that he cherishes. Incorporating art into new and contemporary mediums defines for him his identity. 

Drawing reference to his surrounding architecture in an industrial area, he uses basic shapes that are open to interpretation. In contrast to residential areas, he uses grey in his sculptures, as is the colour of buildings and the eyes of the workers.

Samarth Manojbhai Mistry lives and works in Baroda, Gujarat, India.