Vikash Jha at his New Jersey Studio
About the Artist
Vikash Jha is a New York Metro-based Indian-American contemporary abstract expressionist whose works permeates an East-West multicultural vision.
Born and raised in India, Vikash was urged by his parents to pursue happiness. He spent weekends studying at a specialized art school, learning the formal techniques of the masters and finding his artistic voice. Relocating to the USA some 20 years ago, Vikash supplemented his art studies and degrees from Indian universities with executive programs at MIT and Harvard.
His exuberant canvases with their brilliant color, cross-cultural imageries, and multilayered painting techniques are evocative of such artists as Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, and Robert Rauschenberg. Underscoring his practice is his philosophy that "Art is my nirvana and I believe it could be the same for each one of us, guiding us through life's crests and troughs."
In 2017, Vikash turned his considerable energies to art full time, steadily gaining professional and public recognition. His works have been accepted for some highly regarded juried shows in the US. His art was exhibited in the inauguration of MvVO AD ART Show at Sotheby’s Fine Art auction house and subsequent iterations at The Oculus World Trade Center New York City as well at a variety of NYC galleries and venues including Pleiades Gallery, 1stDibs Design Center, Edison Arts Society among others.
Vikash Jha is destined to leave an indelible stamp of hope, prosperity, and beauty in the world through his art.
Art Critique (by New York magazine’s Senior Art Critic – Jerry Saltz)
I was honored to have win a positive critique by Jerry Saltz, the Pulitzer prize-winning Senior Art Critic for New York magazine in 2021.
Jerry Saltz critique about one of my reviewed works-
I really think, you know a fair amount about art. Great sense of color, internal light. Gets the viewer engaged far and then draws them in. I think you are in really really good shape….I think that if this is the least representative of your works then you are in great shape! So keep working! Work, work work!
Artist Statement
Artist Statement – Vikash Jha
In my art practice I embrace colors, cross-cultural imageries and philosophies inspired by my upbringing in India and immigration to the United States. This along with the multitudes of techniques I have learnt through this journey have given me the courage to dive into continuous examination, and the imagination to explore social, cultural and philosophical issues.
I strive to be an intellectually curious artist, learning not only from my own changing thought processes and sensibilities, but also from the changing cultural, social and environmental landscapes around me.
To create art, I employ mix media- acrylic, oil, charcoal, pastels, spray paints and other pigments and bases as well as mundane upcycled materials to bring my ideas to life. Depending on the visual I aim to bring to life, I use marble powder, cement, sand and glass mediums, wires, bolts, screws, threads, fabrics and other discarded materials. The tools I use include different types of palette knives, specially conditioned paintbrushes, scrubbers, scrapers, sponges, and mark-makers. Texture has a critical role in my works, as every layer of texture offers. me an opportunity to bring my abstract expressions closer to my imagination.
During the creative process, I invariably improvise on my original ideas, getting constantly excited about the unknowns in the process. Oftentimes this helps me achieve better outcomes than I could have otherwise achieved. I believe, when the ideas are not held within rigid boundaries, they achieve logical harmony through experimental and experiential freedom.
Creating art transports me to a blissful state. To a place of perfect happiness, to nirvana if you will. My hope is that the art I create resonates in similar ways with my viewers and transport them to a place of contemplation and meditation, and evoke feelings of joy, exuberance, and awe.
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Selected history of past and upcoming exhibitions
Apr 2025 New York Solo Show (for Private Collectors) NYC, NY, USA
Feb 2025 Saphira & Ventura Gallery NYC, NY, USA
May 2024 Saphira & Ventura Gallery (Solo Show) NYC, NY, USA
Aug 2023 Saphira & Ventura Gallery NYC, NY, USA
Apr 2023 Creativo (Show for Private Collectors) NYC, NY, USA
Aug-Sep 2022 Venice Art Biennale 2022 (Via Garibaldi – SVG) Venice, Italy
Aug 2022 Saphira & Ventura Gallery NYC, NY, USA
May 2022 MvVO AD Art Show 2022 - World Trade Center NYC, NY, USA
Feb 17-22, 2022 Palm Beach Show (SVG) West Palm Beach, FL, USA
Jan 26 – Feb 7, 2022 Saphira & Ventura Gallery NYC, NY, USA
Jan 16 -19, 2022 World Art Forum - Art of Sustainable Development National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (SVG) Cairo, Egypt
Nov 28 – Dec 5, 2021 SCOPE – International Contemporary Art Show (Art Basel-Miami week) (Saphira & Ventura Gallery - SVG) Miami Beach, FL, USA
August 2-8, 2021 Artsy Solo Show (MvVO Art Gallery) Online
May 2021 MvVO AD Art Show 2021 - World Trade Center NYC, NY, USA
Mar-Apr 2021 Bridge Art Gallery Bayonne, NJ, USA
Sep 2020 MvVO AD Art Show 2020 - World Trade Center NYC, NY, USA
May 2019 MvVO AD Art Show 2019 - World Trade Center NYC, NY, USA
Apr- May 2019 1stdibs Design Center NYC, NY, USA
Mar, 2019 Clio Art Fair NYC, NY, USA
Dec 2018 - Jan 2019 Pleiades Gallery NYC, NY, USA
Nov-Dec, 2018 EAS Gallery (Solo Show) Edison, NJ, USA
Jul-Aug 2018 Pleiades Gallery NYC, NY, USA
Feb 2018 SOTHEBY'S, NYC - MvVO AD Arts Show 2018 NYC, NY, USA
Jan-Mar, 2018 Pleiades Gallery NYC, NY, USA
Oct-Nov, 2017 EAS Gallery Edison, NJ, USA
Mar-May, 2017 EAS Gallery (EAS - Edison Arts Society) Edison, NJ, USA
Education
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Digital Transformation Boston, MA 2019
Harvard Business School – Strategy Boston, MA 2018
Graduate in Fine Arts India 1990
Artsy (Vikash Jha) - www.artsy.net/artist/vikash-jha
Gallery representation (non-exclusive):
Saphira & Ventura Gallery - New York City (4 W 43rd St #416, New York, NY 10036)
Contacts:
Email: vikash@vikashjhastudios.com