SureshAcharya at 05:58, 2 May 2026

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{{short description|Indian artist and photographer (born 1958)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox artist
| name = Diwan Manna
| image = Diwan Manna, Portrait.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1958}}
| birth_place = [[Bareta]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], India
| death_date = 
| death_place =
| resting_place_coordinates = 
| education =
| alma_mater = [[Government College of Arts, Chandigarh|Government College of Art]], [[Chandigarh]]
| known_for = [[Conceptual photography]]
| notable_works =
| style =
| movement =
| spouse =
| partner =
| awards = National Academy Award (by [[Lalit Kala Akademi]])
| patrons =
| memorials =
| website = {{Official website}}
}}

'''Diwan Manna''' (born 17 June 1958) is an [[Indian people|Indian]] [[Conceptual art|conceptual]] artist and photographer. He completed his study in graphic art and printmaking from the [[Government College of Arts, Chandigarh|Government College of Art]], [[Chandigarh]] in 1982.<ref name="thehindu.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/a-unique-combination/article18468010.ece|title=A unique combination|date=13 September 2006|access-date=20 January 2018|website=Thehindu.com}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> He exhibited in India, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Poland, and Italy. From 2014 to 2015 he served as the director of [[Triennale India]], organised by [[Lalit Kala Akademi]], National Academy of Art, Ministry of Culture, Govt of India.<ref name=":5">{{cite web|url=http://www.indiaculture.nic.in/sites/default/files/events/Seminar%20Triennale.pdf|title=Peripheries of Globalization : Re-mapping the global contemporary through biennales and triennales|website=Indiaculture.nic.in|access-date=20 January 2018}}</ref> He served as the chairman of [[Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi]], State Academy of Art, Department of Culture, Chandigarh Administration. Currently, he is serving as the president of [[Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi]], State Academy of Art, Ministry of Culture, Government of Punjab, India.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/art-and-culture/functioning-of-akademies-should-be-left-to-professionals-diwan-manna-3062435/|title='Functioning of Akademies should be left to professionals': Diwan Manna|date=2016-10-03|work=The Indian Express|access-date=2017-07-06|language=en-US}}</ref>

He is a recipient of the National Academy Award by the [[Lalit Kala Akademi]], New Delhi.<ref name= ":8">{{cite web|url=http://www.sunday-guardian.com/artbeat/the-nuances-of-conceptual-photography-defy-mediums|title=The nuances of conceptual photography defy mediums|website=Sunday-guardian.com|access-date=20 January 2018|archive-date=13 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213011651/http://www.sunday-guardian.com/artbeat/the-nuances-of-conceptual-photography-defy-mediums|url-status=dead}}</ref> Some of his artworks include ''Alienation'' (1980), ''Violence'' (1985), ''Waking the Dead'' (1996), ''Shores of the Unknown'' (2000), ''After the Turmoil'' (2003), and ''Master of Light, and Le Corbusier'' (2006).

==Early life==
Manna was born in 1958, in [[Bareta]],<ref name=":7">{{cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20100523/spectrum/book7.htm|title=The Sunday Tribune - Spectrum|website=Tribuneindia.com|access-date=20 January 2018}}</ref><ref name=":8" /> a town in [[Bathinda district]] (now [[Mansa district, Punjab|Mansa district]]) of [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], India.<ref name=":1" /> He completed his matriculation from the Government High School, Bareta in 1975. In his early years, he studied fiction and poetry, and was active in sports, played leading role as an actor in theatre and local [[Ramlila]], a popular theatrical folk form in India.<ref name=":6">{{cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/your-week/story/19960915-diwan-manna-wins-all-india-fine-arts-crafts-society-national-awards-for-his-photography-834445-1996-09-14|title=Diwan Manna wins All India Fine Arts & Crafts Society's national awards for his photography|date=15 September 1996|website=India Today|access-date=20 January 2018}}</ref><ref name=":0"/>

He studied [[printmaking]] at the [[Government College of Art, Chandigarh|Government College of Art]], [[Chandigarh]], India, from 1978 to 1982.<ref name="thehindu.com"/><ref name=":1" />

==Career==
Manna has been practising art since 1980. In 2006, he was artist in residence at Firminy, Saint-Etienne, France, as a part of a cultural exchange program to photograph architecture of Le Corbusier.<ref>{{cite book |title=History and Heritage - Government College of Art, Chandigarh (India) |publisher=D S Kapoor |isbn=978-93-5279-401-0 |pages=286 |edition=first}}</ref><ref name="Contemporary Art North India">{{cite book |title=Contemporary Art North India |year=2017 |publisher=Pentagon Press |isbn=978-81-8274-949-8 |pages=109–114}}</ref>

On 17 June 2008, he was appointed the chairman of [[Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi]], and held the position until 31 July 2015.<ref name=":7" /> From 2014 to 2015 he served as the director of [[Triennale India]], organised by [[Lalit Kala Akademi]] India's National Academy of Arts, Ministry of Culture, Govt of India.<ref name=":5"/> Since 2016, he is the president of [[Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi]].<ref name=":0"/>

[[File:Shores of the Unknown New 13 by Conceptual Artist Diwan Manna.jpg|thumb|Shores of the Unknown New 13 by Conceptual Artist Diwan Manna|300x300px]]

==Awards==
He is a recipient of the National Academy Award by Lalit Kala Akademi.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/a-unique-combination/article18468010.ece|title=A unique combination|work=The Hindu|access-date=2017-07-06|language=en}}</ref><ref name= ":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.saffronart.com/artists/diwan-manna|title=Diwan Manna {{!}} Paintings by Diwan Manna {{!}} Diwan Manna Painting - Saffronart.com|website=Saffronart|access-date=2017-07-06}}</ref> He first received the [[All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society]] award in 1995, and the second time in 1996.<ref name="Art India 1998">{{cite magazine|title=Of Tradition and Change|magazine=Art India : The Art News Magazine of India|year=1998|volume=3|issue=2|publisher=Art India Publishing Company|location=Mumbai|pages=66–68|oclc=80022104}}</ref>

==Artworks==
Manna is one of the first artists from India to practice [[conceptual photography]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Art is the Art of Going Beyond the Obvious |url=http://www.betterphotography.in/perspectives/art-is-the-art-of-going-beyond-the-obvious/44310/ |website=www.betterphography.in |access-date=5 October 2016 |archive-date=5 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161105082727/http://betterphotography.in/perspectives/art-is-the-art-of-going-beyond-the-obvious/44310/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> His work combines images with objects, moving within a consciously chosen space in order to create a multimedia reality.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=on Art |first1=Take |title=Symphony of Light |date=January–June 2018 |volume=4 |issue=22 |pages=36–37, 39 }}</ref>

He is known for his work revolving around socio-cultural and socio-political concerns,<ref name=":28">{{cite journal |last1=Cichocka |first1=Marta Eloy |title=Cisza Po Burzy |journal=Biuletyn Fotograficzny |date=December 2006 |volume=26 |page=20,21,22 |url=https://archive.org/details/diwanmannaciszapoburzy/page/n5/mode/2up}}</ref> in which he depicts the collapse of human sensitivities in the face of violence, turbulence, hypocrisy, alienation, dehumanization, war and death.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lal |first1=Pradyot |title=Language of the lens |url=https://archive.org/details/diwanmannaasianagelanguageofthelens |date=August 1997 |work=Asian Age}}</ref> According to the art historian Raffael Dedo Gadebusch in The Museum's Journal, Berlin, "...a rather thoughtfull laconic picture of the social reality emerges from Manna's compositions...".<ref name=":29">{{cite journal |last1=Gadebusch |first1=Raffael Dedo |title=New acquisitions at the Museum for Indian Art |journal=Museum's Journal |date=April 2002 |volume=I6 |issue=II |page=70,71 |url=https://archive.org/details/diwanmanna-derblickdesphotographen/page/n1/mode/2up |issn=0933-0593}}</ref>

By using existing icons and symbols of tradition and culture as a reference point, he creates visuals, which acquire a deeper meaning in the mind of the viewer, leading to a multitude of interpretations. His interest does not lie in creating pretty visuals but to transport the viewers from the image into their own perceived, imagined and lived experiences by inviting them to respond to these.<ref name=":15">{{cite journal |last1=Pande |first1=Alka |title=Of Tradition and Change |journal=The Art News Magazine of India |date=January 1998 |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=66–68 |url=https://archive.org/details/diwanmannaartnewsofindiaoftraditionandchange/mode/2up}}</ref>

Diwan has pushed the boundaries of photography by developing a technique of combining painting, acting, and photography to narrate his personal impressions and experiences of the world in and around him. He creates a three-dimensional immersive environment in which there is a painting in the backdrop, actors whose bodies are painted and props<ref name=":28" /> created specifically around the themes he is working on (in the series Violence, Waking the Dead, Shores of the Unknown and After the Turmoil).<ref>{{cite news |title=Diwan Manna: Artist or a Photographer |url=https://archive.org/details/diwanmannaanartistoraphotographer |agency=India Monitor |date=26 November 1995}}</ref> This temporary installation of various elements is photographed on a transparency film which is further exposed in the darkroom on a normal photographic paper by controlling the rendition of images with the play of filters.<ref name=":15" />

His artworks are not frozen mirror images of banal objects but there is certain remoteness from a routine visual experience.<ref name=":18" /> Camera for him is not merely a copying device to document<ref name=":15" /> the existing reality around him rather he constructs it in an effort to look beyond the obvious. He is often seen in the images (series - Waking the Dead, Shores of the Unknown and After the Turmoil), outside it, besides it, looking at it and looking from it thereby inhabiting space which is inner (mind), real (studio) and the social at the same time.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Amarbir Singh |authorlink1=Foreword |editor1-last=Pande |editor1-first=Dr Alka |title=Ages of Separation |date=October 2006 |publisher=Gallery Artroom |location=New Delhi |page=2 |url=https://archive.org/details/exhibitioncatalogueagesofseparationbydiwanmanna_202003/mode/2up}}</ref>
His conceptual artworks began with the series ''Alienation'' in 1980 and continued with the series ''Violence'', ''Waking the Dead'', ''Shores of the Unknown'', ''After the Turmoil'', ''Master of Light-[[Le Corbusier]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cairn.info/revue-societes-et-representations-2010-2-page-15.htm| title = Regards croisés sur l'architecture: Le Corbusier vu par ses photographes}}{{ISBN|9782859446666}}</ref> over the next three decades.<ref name=":18">Singh, Amarbir (2006). 'Ages of Separation by Diwan Manna'. New Delhi: Exhibition Catalog, Visual Arts Gallery</ref> Through his works, Manna tries to express his concerns about the working class and the social inequality in Indian society.<ref name="Contemporary Art North India"/>
[[File:Shores of the Unknown 1 by Diwan Manna, conceptual artist.jpg|thumb|Shores of the Unknown 1 by Diwan Manna, conceptual artist|300x300px]]
Some of his artworks include:
* ''Alienation'' (1980); 8 photographs created in 1980 revolving around the life of peons in the Government College of Art, Chandigarh, symbolizing increasing alienation in society.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":4" />
* ''Dhaba'' (1987); photographs metaphorically representing darkness in the lives of workers in the local eateries.
* ''Waking the Dead'' (1996); series around various facets of death and life.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":6" />
* ''Shores of the Unknown'' (2000); The unknown could be the expanse of private memory, the darkness of the [[collective unconscious]], contemporary history, living environment and often the intersection of these spaces. An endless reflection of human predicaments characterizing the complex emotions that death evokes in us. These are the artworks in which Manna himself steps in as an actor to transcend and transform the scene.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":4" />
* ''After the Turmoil'' (2003); based on the theme of optimism trying to come to terms with traumatic past and its newfound freedom.<ref name=":4">{{cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040110/windows/main2.htm|title=The Tribune - Magazine section - Windows|website=Tribuneindia.com|access-date=20 January 2018}}</ref><ref name=":7" />
* ''Violence'' (1985); work around insidious and unrecognized forms of degradation of a sense of life and honor within ourselves as well as in others.<ref name=":7" />
* ''Master of Light, Le Corbusier'' (2006); images based on the modernist architect [[Le Corbusier]]'s architectural creations. It is an attempt to create an imagery of lyricism, rhythm, and nuances of light, shape, form, volume, and colour based on his encounters with architectural spaces.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":7" /><ref name=":13">{{cite magazine |title=Symphony Of Light|last=Manna|first=Diwan|magazine=Take on India|volume=4|issue=1|date=January–June 2018|pages=36–39|oclc=921866684}}</ref>
*''Corridors of Power'' (2006); symbolic dimension of the administrative buildings in the [[Chandigarh Capitol Complex]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Brasilia Chandigarh Le Havre Portraits of cities |url=http://www.art-of-the-day.info/a5488-brasilia-chandigarh-le-havre-portraits-of-cities.html |access-date=2 June 2016}}</ref>

== Exhibitions==
===Individual===
[[File:Shores of the Unknown 28 by Diwan Manna, conceptual artist.jpg|thumb|Shores of the Unknown 28 by Diwan Manna, conceptual artist|300x300px]]
His individual exhibitions include:<ref name=":3">{{cite web|url=http://www.lalitkalachandigarh.com/page/diwan-manna|title=Diwan Manna - Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademy|website=Lalitkalachandigarh.com|access-date=20 January 2018}}</ref>
* 2006: ''Ages of Separation'' curated by [[Alka Pande]] at [[India Habitat Centre]]<ref name="thehindu.com"/>
* 2003: ''After The Turmoil'' at International Art Centre, Paszkowka Palace, Kraków, Poland.
* 2001: ''Window on Time'' at Galerie [[Bateau Lavoir]], Paris, France.
* 2000: ''Wheel of Time'' at Alliance Francaise de Chandigarh, India
* 2000: ''Alienation, Violence, Dhaba, Goat's Eye and Shores of the Unknown'' at [[Museum of Asian Art]], Berlin, Germany<ref name=":7" />
* 2000: ''Shores of the Unknown'' at Galerie Bellevue, Berlin, Germany
* 1999: ''Rooh Punjab Di'' curated by [[Alka Pande]] at Sector 17, Chandigarh, India
* 1997: ''Waking the Dead'' at [[Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery|Rowley's Museum, Shrewsbury]], UK

===Group exhibitions===
[[File:Shores of the Unknown 5 by Diwan Manna, conceptual artist.jpg|thumb|Shores of the Unknown 5 by Diwan Manna, conceptual artist|300x300px]]
His work has been exhibited in some group exhibitions, including:<ref name=":3" />

* 2016: ''Bodhgaya Biennale''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.diwanmanna.com/blog/post/world-art-on-one-platform-bodhgaya-biennale-the-tetegraph-calcutta|title=World art on one platform - Bodhgaya Biennale - The Tetegraph, Calcutta - Diwan Manna|website=Diwanmanna.com|access-date=20 January 2018}}</ref>
* 2016: ''Le Corbusier - Mastering the Image in India'', in collaboration with Museum of Fine Arts, [[La Chaux-de-Fonds District|La-Chaux-de-Fonds]], Switzerland, and [[Fondation Le Corbusier]], France, at NGMA, Bangalore, at Embassy of Switzerland in Nov 2015 and at Govt. Museum & Art Gallery, Chandigarh, October 2015, curated by Sphie Vantieghem<ref name="chaux-de-fonds.ch">{{cite web|url=http://www.chaux-de-fonds.ch/musees/mba/mba-expositions/expositions-itinerantes/Documents/carton_vernissage_new_dehli.pdf|title=Mastering the Image|website=Chaux-de-fonds.ch|access-date=20 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.swissnexindia.org/event/le-corbusier-mastering-the-image-exhibition/|title='Le Corbusier – Mastering the Image' Exhibition|website=Swissnexindia.org|access-date=20 January 2018}}</ref>
* 2011: ''Articulate 2011 - An Exhibition of Contemporary photography- Saffron Art and Pratham, UK'', Bond Street, London, UK
* 2011: ''150 Years of Income Tax in India- Lalit Kala Akademi Galleries'', New Delhi, Chandigarh, Lucknow, and Jaipur.
* 2009: ''The Wonder that is India- A Visual Map'', group exhibition of 8 Photographers, curated by [[Alka Pande]], collateral event India Art Summit, [[Instituto Cervantes]] Nueva, Delhi.
* 2008: ''Click! Contemporary Photography in India'', curated by Suneil Gupta and Radhika Singh, at Vadehra Art Gallery in collaboration with Photomedia, New Delhi, India and [[Grosvenor Gallery]], [[London]]
* 2007–2008: ''Regards Croises Franco - Indien (Indo - French Glances) Firminy-Chandigarh, Le Corbusier'', by Diwan Manna and Michel Dieudonne, curated by Martine Dancer, at Alliance Francaise de Chandigarh, Apparao Gallery Chennai, Gallery Romaine Rolland, Alliance Francaise de Delhi, April, Alliance Francaise Trivandrum, Alliance Francaise Kolkata, Alliance Francaise, Bangalore
* 2007: ''Brasilia-Chandigarh-Le Havre, Portraits de Villes, [[Musee Malraux]]'', curated by Annette Haudiquet, Le Havre, France<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.muma-lehavre.fr/sites/default/files/atoms/files/dp_2007_brasilia_chandigarh_le_havre_muma.pdf|title=BRASILIA – CHANDIGARH – LE HAVRE : PORTRAITS DE VILLES|date=16 September 2007|website=Muma-lehavre.fr|access-date=20 January 2018}}</ref>
* 2006–2007: ''Regards Croises Franco - Indien (Indo - French Glances) Firminy-Chandigarh, Le Corbusier'', by Diwan Manna and Michel Dieudonne, curated by Martine Dancer at Unite de la Habitation, Firminy, St-Etienne, France<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.diwanmanna.com/blog/post/tale-of-two-cities-the-hindu-india|title=Tale of two cities - The Hindu, India - Diwan Manna|website=Diwanmanna.com|access-date=20 January 2018}}</ref>
* 2006–2007: ''Lille 2007, Le Corbusier a Chandigarh 1951–2006'', by Diwan Manna, Stephane Couturier, and Lucien Harve, curated by Yannick Courbes, Musee des Beaux-Arts, Tourcoing, Lille, France
* 2005: ''Decisive Moment'', New Delhi, India
* 2004: ''Singular Identities'', curated by [[Alka Pande]], at India Habitat Center
* 2000: Group show of five artists at Alliance Francaise, Chandigarh, India
* 1997: Five Artists from Punjab, Galleries of English Bridge Workshop, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, UK
* 1997: ''Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow'', [[Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh]], India
* 1996: 3rd All India Photography Exhibition, All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, New Delhi and Chandigarh, India
* 1996: National Exhibition of Photography, Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi, India
* 1995: 2nd All India Photography Exhibition, All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, New Delhi and Chandigarh, India
* 1995: ''Project Punjab'' at [[National Gallery of Modern Art|National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi]], Mumbai, Chandigarh, India and UK
* 1993: South Asian Visual Arts Festival, [[Wolverhampton Art Gallery]], UK
* 1988: International Exhibition of Graphic Art & Photography, All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, New Delhi, India
* 1982: National Exhibition of Art, Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi, India

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}

* {{Official website|https://www.diwanmanna.com/}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manna, Diwan}}
[[Category:Indian contemporary artists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian photographers]]
[[Category:Interdisciplinary artists]]
[[Category:Photographers from Punjab, India]]
[[Category:1958 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Artists from Chandigarh]]
[[Category:Government College of Art, Chandigarh, alumni]]

Diwan Manna - Revision history

SureshAcharya at 05:58, 2 May 2026