Avinash Karn

 

Avinash Karn Profile photo 

Artist's Statement 

I am an artist working at the intersection of traditional forms and contemporary expression, deeply rooted in the visual language of Mithila painting, a native art form of my region. My practice draws from its symbolic richness, transforming it into a space where lived realities, forgotten voices, and fleeting emotions find expression. Through this, I honour the tradition while gently nudging it into new conversations.

In the life on stage, it is the background dancers who carry my characters—through them, I see life. This does not mean the front faces are disregarded. They, too, play vital roles. But the ones who remain invisible or pushed to the margins often hold the essence. The front faces are me, you, the viewer, the buyer—while the people behind us, we often forget. The artist’s role, then, is to pause you for a moment. To see, to feel, to recognise their struggles, their joy, their aesthetics—and the often-ignored fragments of their lives.

You look at the painting, reflect on it, speak about it, or perhaps even take it home—and in that moment, my purpose is fulfilled. The background’s support to the front, and the front’s support to the background, form a mutual rhythm—a spherical connectivity, an ecology of co-existence.

My paintings are neither too deep nor too naïve. They are windows into ordinary life—where innocence floats on the surface, yet deeper meanings flow underneath, as layered and fluid as philosophy itself.

My experiments with medium and subject, shaped by my intent to contribute to Mithila painting, are not only acts of artistic responsibility, but also a way to stay alive—as a living artist in time, in thought, and in evolving tradition.

Artist's Bio

Avinash Karn, a contemporary Mithila painting artist from Ranti village in Madhubani, Bihar, was born into a family of traditional painters. He is the founder of Kachni-Bharni, Madhubani’s first art collective, and merges ancestral heritage with bold, contemporary expressions. After studying Sculpture at Banaras Hindu University, he began exploring new visual directions beyond the usual themes typically associated with Mithila painting.

While his visual language remains rooted in the native forms of Mithila painting, his work reflects lived experiences—particularly of urban life and human intimacy. His large canvas on Mumbai captures the city’s essence through Madhubani’s line traditions, not via idealized imagery but through grounded, observational storytelling. His work challenges orthodoxy both in technique and subject. In Invitation, he merges gendered symbols—a phallus with a vagina—and introduces a symbolic Shiva as Shivlinga fused with the Nataraja form—an unprecedented addition to Shiva’s evolving iconography.

Raised in a household of women, Avinash approaches the female form through creation and reverence. His works portray nude figures, birthing bodies, and fluid identities, rendered through the clarity and rhythm of Mithila painting—liberated, layered, and deeply rooted.

In 2016, he collaborated with Artreach India on a community art project in Chandidih, Jharkhand, where he painted murals reflecting local festivals and urgent social issues. One mural, inspired by a pregnant woman walking kilometers for water, was featured in Discovery Channel’s “#IndiaMyWay” in 2017. He continued working with tribal artists until 2021, when travel became difficult due to setting up his new studio in Ranti.

From 2020 to 2023, supported by Artreach India (New Delhi), he led a project training young Muslim girls in Mithila painting. Despite community orthodoxy, they completed projects for KHOJ Quarterly Magazine and Contagion Compassion, covering Christian iconography, the Ramayana, and socio-political themes. Five of the girls now work full-time at Avinash’s studio, ArtBole.

In 2019, Avinash represented India at the prestigious Fumetto International Comic Festival in Lucerne, Switzerland. He was one of four featured artists globally. Posters of his work were displayed throughout Lucerne—including at the airport and railway station.

Now based in Ranti, Madhubani, Avinash continues to expand the language of Mithila painting with integrity, freedom, and inclusivity.

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