Debajit Rudra Paul, born and brought up in the north-eastern state of Tripura. he has received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Painting from Government college of art and craft Agartala, Tripura in 2018 and University of Kalyani, west Bengal in 2020, respectively.

He has participated in many national exhibitions and attended number of  regional residencies in rural and tribal areas as Latabuni(West Bengal) in 2020,  Bamutiya(Tripura) in 2022-23 , Mathabhanga(North Bengal) in 2022,  Kalimpong(West Bengal) in 2023, Surjamoninagar(Tripura) in 2024 . He  received and completed his one-year scholarship residency for research and  development awarded by Lalit kala academy in 2022.

He also got opportunity to be a part of prestigious, “The Baroda March” and a  curated show named “Gaman” at Vis A Vis studio cum gallery, Vadodara in  2024. After he got a grant from Art Incept gallery in 2025, he has developed his works  and participated in various group shows, named Art Mumbai , Kaizen, 1x1x9,  The world as we meet it, Ehsaas: to connect, Empire of irony with various  galleries throughout the year and early in 2026.

His practice involves scavenging of expression from surrounding and rendering  them on various absurd landscapes through his paintings. The artist currently lives and practices in Baroda and being represented by ART  INCEPT gallery, Gurgaon, India.

Can you tell us about your background and how you started your artistic journey?

When I was first introduced to Art College, I encountered a wide range of artistic practices and  activities happening around the world, many of which were entirely new to me. I was fascinated by  how artists, irrespective of their chosen medium, were freely expressing their thoughts, ideas, and  perspectives. This exposure opened up new possibilities for me and encouraged me to explore different  ways of making art.During my bachelor’s degree in painting, I began experimenting with various forms  of artistic expression, including installation, performance, digital art, and public art. Through these  experiments, I was trying to understand how people responded to the ideas I wanted to communicate.  Most of these ideas emerged from questions about social structures, human behavior, and the people  who exist within and are shaped by these systems. I believe this inquiry continues to be an integral part  of my practice even today.

In my early years, I also participated in collaborative projects involving site specific installations.

These experiences gave me opportunities to interact with people who had a deeper understanding of  their immediate surroundings and to learn how they perceived and interpreted the world around them.  Listening to their perspectives inspired me to observe everyday life more closely and to question the  things that often appear normal but, on deeper reflection, seem absurd or contradictory.

Over time, these experiences have shaped the way I look at the world and approach my work. Although  I am now working primarily in my studio, the insights I gained through these interactions and  collaborative engagements continue to inform my paintings. They have helped me translate my  observations, questions, and experiences into visual narratives.

Looking back, from beginning my bachelor’s degree in 2014 to the present day in 2026, it has been  twelve years of dedicating much of my time to exploring different ways of engaging people through  art. This ongoing search has continually motivated me to experiment with new forms of expression and  to communicate my thoughts in ways that are both satirical and poetic.

How do you stay inspired and motivated to create new work?

aintings. I have always been drawn to questions that emerge from my observations of life and the  world around me. These questions become the starting points of my artistic process, encouraging me to  look deeper, reflect, and find ways to translate my thoughts into visual form.

My desire to create has been with me since childhood. Coming from a potters’ village, I grew up  watching artisans transform lumps of clay into objects that were both useful and meaningful. I was  particularly fascinated by the idols they created using nothing more than earth and hay. These figures  carried profound cultural and spiritual significance, becoming objects of worship through the stories  and beliefs associated with them. I was amazed by how ordinary materials could be transformed into  something that held such immense meaning for people.

As I grew older, I began to dream of becoming someone who could create things that moved others  emotionally. Although I hold a master’s degree in painting, my practice has always extended beyond a  single medium. I have explored different forms of artistic expression in my attempt to communicate my  thoughts and ideas. Since 2021, however, I have devoted myself more deeply to working with acrylic  on canvas. The medium continues to challenge me, much like a lump of clay challenges a potter. I  enjoy the process of transforming a seemingly meaningless, blank surface into something meaningful  and thought provoking. For me, the canvas becomes a space where questions, observations, and  imagination gradually take shape.

Ultimately, what keeps me inspired is the possibility of turning something ordinary into something that  carries meaning and evokes emotion. The desire to create, to question, and to discover something  through the process itself continues to motivate me to make new work.

How has your artistic style evolved over time?

Over the past few years, I have been developing a series of paintings titled Night as a Habitat. Through  this series, I attempt to translate my thoughts, questions, and experiences into a poetic visual language.  Much like poetry, which can be interpreted differently by readers according to their experiences and  understanding, I want my paintings to remain open to multiple interpretations.

My process usually begins with creating a vast landscape that does not represent any particular  geographical location. Instead, it becomes a metaphorical space an imagined land shaped by my  personal experiences and longings. The desire to own land has been a recurring subject in my family  since I was old enough to understand our circumstances. I belong to the third generation of a family  that migrated from Bangladesh during the 1971 Liberation War. Since then, my family has lived as  tenants in a border region of Tripura, without owning land of our own. Some of our relatives continue  to live on the other side of the border, unwilling to give up their ancestral land. Growing up with this  reality has left me with a deep-rooted desire to secure a piece of land for my family. As I am not yet in  a position to purchase one, I find myself creating and imagining different kinds of landscapes through  my paintings. In a way, painting becomes a means of negotiating this longing and imagining a place  that I can call my own.

Once I establish the landscape on the canvas, I transform it into a nocturnal setting. People often ask  me why I choose to paint dark landscapes, and some have even suggested that these works should not  be shown to the world. However, darkness is not merely an aesthetic choice in my practice; it is closely  connected to my experiences of displacement, restriction, and belonging.

When I moved to Vadodara, one of the things that fascinated me most was its night life. I encountered  people moving freely through the city after dark, experiencing a sense of freedom that was unfamiliar  to me. Back home in Tripura, my family and many others have traditionally been reluctant to venture

out at night, shaped by generations of experiences and memories of conflict between tribal  communities and migrant populations in the region. Coming to Vadodara exposed me to a different  relationship with the night. The sights, atmospheres, and possibilities I encountered there were entirely  new to me, and these experiences eventually became the foundation of Night as a Habitat.

The next stage of my process involves composing the images within these landscapes. While making  decisions about composition and selecting visual elements, I try to imagine how a viewer might  experience the painting. I question how different images might interact with one another and what  kinds of associations they might generate. It is at this stage that the poetic quality of the work begins to  emerge.

The images I incorporate are drawn from the contemporary environments in which I live and spend my  time. They are often relatively small in scale, allowing the landscape to retain its vastness and the  surrounding space to remain significant. Usually, I introduce two or three images that initiate a visual  conversation. Although these images emerge from my own observations and carry my personal  interpretations, I deliberately avoid closing the narrative. I want viewers to bring their own experiences  and perspectives to the work, allowing meanings to develop beyond my initial intentions.

Since 2023, I have been deeply engaged with this series, continuously revisiting and refining my  process. Rather than treating style as something fixed, I see it as an evolving language through which I  can investigate my experiences more deeply. Through Night as a Habitat, I am gradually discovering  how personal histories of displacement, the longing for a place to belong, and encounters with  unfamiliar environments can be transformed into open ended visual narratives.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being creative in your experience?

Bringing imagination to life is, of course, one of the most satisfying aspects of being an artist. But  beyond that, the process allows me to understand myself better by questioning, observing, and  reflecting on different aspects of life. This self-discovery, which unfolds through the process of  creating, is equally rewarding.

Another deeply fulfilling aspect is seeing my artworks in front of viewers and observing how they engage with them. I find it particularly interesting when people ask questions, share their  interpretations, and connect the work to their own lived experiences. These exchanges often reveal  perspectives I may not have considered myself.

For me, creating an artwork is a way of initiating a dialogue through images, colors, and atmosphere on  a two-dimensional surface. There is always a certain tension and restlessness throughout the process, a  feeling that stays with me until the work is complete. It is an intense yet necessary part of my creative  journey. And when the work finally comes together, that tension gives way to a profound sense of  satisfaction. It is perhaps the most rewarding moment of the entire process the moment when  imagination takes form, personal reflection becomes tangible, and the artwork is ready to begin its own  conversation with the world.

What challenges have you faced as an artist, and how have you overcome them?

I believe challenges cannot be defined universally, they differ from person to person, depending on  their circumstances and background. For me, the first and perhaps most difficult challenge was  convincing my parents to let me pursue what I loved and wanted to learn more about.

Coming from a family with no prior knowledge of the art world, my parents were understandably  anxious about my future, as well as their own. In the kind of family I come from, a son is often  expected to start earning at a very young age to contribute to the household. I was also the only person  in my entire neighborhood to pursue a master’s degree in a specialized subject. Breaking away from  these deeply rooted social expectations was not easy. I had to face a great deal of criticism and  negativity from both familiar and unfamiliar people around me.

However, I remained determined to follow my passion. Eventually, my family decided to let me pursue  my path, although they had very little hope or certainty about where it would lead. Throughout my  studies, my brother, Abhijit, stood by me and supported me in every possible way. Without him, I  might have given up on my passion long ago. His support has been invaluable to my journey.

After completing my MFA, I faced another major challenge, financial independence. My family had  promised to support me only until the completion of my studies, so I had to find a way to sustain  myself while continuing my artistic practice. The COVID-19 pandemic had also spread across the  world during my MFA, making an already uncertain future even more difficult.

After the pandemic, I moved to Kolkata in search of opportunities that would allow me to earn a living  and continue my practice, but unfortunately, I could not find what I was looking for. Then, a friend of  mine, Anurag, who lives in Vadodara, suggested that I move there, as I might find part-time work that  would help me sustain myself while pursuing my art.

I moved to Vadodara in 2021 and began sharing a rented studio with Chandra, a sculptor and  independent curator. During some of my most difficult times, she offered me tremendous help and  encouragement. Her support kept me motivated and helped me continue moving forward when things  seemed uncertain.

Now, in 2026, I am a represented artist at Art Incept Gallery. The gallery’s founder and director,  Gayatri ma’am, is supporting my practice and helping me explore greater depth and possibilities in my  work. For me, reaching this point is meaningful, not because I have achieved everything I aspire to, but  because it reminds me how far I have come and how much there is still to learn.

My journey has taught me that when you remain determined to pursue what you believe in, there are  people who will come forward to support you along the way. I may not have reached where I want to  be yet, but I am deeply grateful to everyone who has stood by me, believed in me, and helped me  continue my practice. Whatever I have managed to achieve so far is, in many ways, also a part of their  contribution to my journey.

What advice would you give to emerging artists trying to establish themselves?

Consistency is the key. There will be times when encouragement and recognition are scarce, but you  must keep practicing and believing in your work. As artists, we need a great deal of self-motivation.  Those who remain committed to developing their practice eventually find ways to keep going, even

when circumstances are difficult. There are no shortcuts. If you are not privileged enough to have  financial or familial support, allow yourself to grow slowly, at your own pace. Every small step  matters.

Speaking from my own experience, coming from a lower middleclass family in a less developed region  of Northeast India, it was extremely challenging to step out and explore the possibilities of the art  world, where even meeting the basic needs of everyday life consumed almost all our family’s earnings.  However, my family supported me during my years of study, and afterwards, I sustained my practice  by assisting senior artists through part time work.

It took me five years to gain a little recognition in this vast and competitive art world, and I know there  is still a long way to go. So, keep working, keep learning, and keep believing in what you do.  Recognition may take time, and the journey may not always be easy, but consistency, patience, and a  genuine commitment to your practice will help you move forward. Do not measure your journey  against someone else’s. Focus on developing your own voice, one step at a time

Text and photo courtesy of Debajit R Paul

Website: https://debajitrudrapaul.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debajit_r_p_p_a/

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