Expressions of Identity and Memory • Dhiraj Rabha

About Dhiraj Rabha

Art Practitioner
Assam

Dhiraj Rabha was born in a pristine village named Borali Gaon, Assam, India, and grew up in an ex-ULFA detention camp in Goalpara, Assam. He completed a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2016, followed by a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting in 2021. He later earned a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from Kala Bhavana, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan. Dhiraj has received numerous accolades, including the prestigious Prince Claus Seed Award 2023-24, Amsterdam, Netherlands, and was selected for the Khoj Peers Residency 2024. His work has been exhibited at the Serendipity Festival, curated by Vidya Sivadas. In 2023, he was awarded the Generator Cooperative production fund by Experimenter and participated in the Next-Step Residency by Sher Gil Sundaram Arts Foundation at 1Shantiroad, Bangalore. His achievements also include a Production Grant under the Art Practice Program from India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) in 2022 and a Special Mention in the Alkazi Theatre Archives’ Theatre Photography Grant in 2021. He was also a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship India in 2021.

His artistic practice is deeply rooted in the exploration of personal identity and its intersection with the complex layers of communal memory and representation. His creative vision is driven by a commitment to bringing social memories and narratives into public consciousness, especially those concerning loss and violence. In this regard, the practice engages with both individual and collective memories, constructing a physical archive that emerges from inter- and intra-community engagement. To fully understand the intricate relationship between site, context, and community, his process involves a deep, ongoing interaction with the people and environment involved in each project. This serves as the contextual framework that informs his work, which primarily focuses on site-specific installations and research-based projects.