Saba Hasan is a leading contemporary artist with a multimedia repertoire developed over three decades of highly distinguished practice. She is best known for the conceptual and lyrical strength of her works, layered with undertones her art evokes forces of time, nature and personal histories in a profound nuanced voice. Stemming from her training in anthropology Saba’s art practice is further informed by cultural and social perspectives producing a rich interplay of ideas and an idiosyncratic creative vision. Her conversation-based video La Verite/ Haqeeqat explores notions of truth in its philosophical, ethical and political facets. It was screened at the Sarai Reader 09 curated by RAQS Media Collective and finalist for the Celeste Contemporary Art Prize 2014, Milan. Saba's walks in cities she has lived in like Delhi, Paris, Lausanne, New York have produced her acclaimed photographs of water bodies which evince a strong metaphysical cadence such as Walking in Deer Park. A soundscape emerging from these walks was aired on Osso Radio Portugal 2013 as part of an international public project mapping 25 cities through sound. With her book sculptures Saba ushers in philosophical abstractions related to truth, haqeeqat and faith revealing pitfalls in human knowledge as she fashions books into fragile intimate art pieces imbuing them with fresh meaning. Saba’s works have been exhibited at major venues like the 55th International Venice Biennale via the Imago Mundi Foundation, the Bilbao Arte Fondazio, Spain, the National Gallery of Art Colombo, the Fortezza Da Basso Florence, the Hohenburg Castle, Salzburg, Assab One Milan, the Chelsea Film Festival New York, Fisura International Film Festival, Mexico, Vienna Film Awards and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi. Recipient of the Raza National Award for Painting 2006, the Pollock - Krasner Foundation Grant, 2022, The Mannheim Arts Festival Best Art Film Award 2023, The FICIMAD Best Screenplay Award 2024, and finalist at the Vienna International Film Awards 2023, Saba works from her studios in Delhi, Goa and New York.
Education/Awards/Residencies
Modernism and Painting in the 21st Century, Art Seminar with Pat Lipsky, The Arts League, New York, 2025
Best Screenplay Microfilms, FICIMAD, Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente de Madrid, Spain, 2024
Best Artist Short Film, Mannheim Arts and Film Festival, Mannheim, Germany 2023
Finalist Experimental Short Film, Vienna International Film Awards, Austria 2023
The Pollock - Krasner Artist Grant recipient, 2022
Live Drawing Studio, National Arts Students League of New York, 2019
Printmaking Studio, Manhattan Graphics, New York, 2016
Jeff Hirst's Studio, Chicago, 2016
International Artists Grant, the Japan Foundation, 2015
Moscow Foto Awards, Moscow, 2014
Celeste Contemporary Art Prize, video finalist, Milan, 2013
Materials of Thought in Sculpture, Oscar Kokoschka Academy, Salzburg, 2010
The RPG Art Residency, Madh Island, Bombay, 2008
Artist Residency Award, Cultural Ministry of France, Paris, 2006
The Raza National Award for Painting, New Delhi, 2005
The Florence Biennale, Duomo de Lorenzo, Florence, Italy, 2004
George Keyt Foundation, Artist in residence, Colombo,2002
Diploma in Art History, Cambridge University, UK, 2000
Akademie, Centruleum, Ecole D’Arts Visuels, Lausanne, 1998
Fellowship for PhD in Cultural Anthropology, Syracuse University, 1986
MA Cultural Anthropology, Delhi University, 1985
BA honours, Economics, Delhi University, 1983
Film Screenings/Official Festival Selection
Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente de Madrid, La Filmoteca Espanola, Madrid, Spain, 2024
Vienna International Film Awards, Finalist Best Experimental Short Film, Vienna, Austria, 2023
Amarcort Film Festival, Experimental Films, Rimin, Italy, 2023
Cinemistica Film Festival of Art Films, Granada, Spain, 2023
Manheim Arts and Film Festival, The Atlantis, Manheim, Germany 2023
Bideodromo International Experimental Film and Video Festival, Bilbao Arte Fundazioa, Bilbao, Spain, 2022
Fisura Festival Internacional De Cine Y Video Experimental, official entry, Mexico City, Mexico 2022
The Indo French International Film Festival, Pondicherry, award winner, India 2021
VAICA2, curator Bharati Kapadia and Chandita Mukherjee, The Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai 2021
The India International Centre, Women in Films, New Delhi, India 2020
Arte International Film Festival, official selection, Madrid and Berlin, Europe 2020
International Documentary and Short Film Festival, Cinema of Resistance, curator Amrit Gangar, Trivandrum 2019
VAICA - Videos by Artists, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Museum of Goa, G5A Centre for Contemporary Art, India 2019
The Chelsea Film Festival, official selection, twilight on the lake, New York City, USA 2018
The Balinale, Bali International Film Festival, official selection, Indonesia 2017
Celeste Contemporary Art Prize Exhibition, Assab One, Milan 2016
Art exhibitions
The Book Project, Apparao Gallerie, Chennai and New Delhi, India, 2025
Lights, Colour, Prufrock, 25 years of Art Konsult Gallery, curator Jyoti Kathpalia, VAG, New Delhi, India 2023
Raza Foundation Exhibition of Award Winners curator Udayan Vajpayee, Shridharani Gallery, 2022
Tribute to FN Souza, curator S Satchidanandan, Museum of Goa, Goa, India 2021
National Exhibition of Women Artists, curator Uma Nair, National Gallery of Modern Art, India 2020
Visions in the Making site 2, curators Myna Mukherjee &David Quadrio, Italian Embassy Booth, India Art Fair 2020
Sacred Trees, Bharat Bhawan, India International Centre, curator Uma Nair, India 2019
Interconnected Universe, drawings, solo show, Gallerie Romain Rolland, Alliance Francaise, New Delhi, 2018
India at 70 by ICCR, Bangkok Centre for Art and Culture, Thailand, 2017
Chromatic Resonance, photographs and videos, solo show, Tenshun Okakura Gallery, Japan Cultural Foundation, 2016
Sound Map of the World, Osso radio soundscape, Lisbon, Portugal 2015
The Soundwalk 09, open call by John Cage, Met Breuer, New York, USA 2015
Performa, performance videos, curator Manoj Nair, unofficial entry, Kochi Muziris Biennale, Kochi, India , 2015
Angaarey, MF Husain Museum, Ahmedabad, India 2015
Book sculptures, videos and paintings, solo show, Gallery Art and Aesthetic, New Delhi, 2015
Instituto Cervantes de Nueva Gallery, curator Elizabeth Rogers, India 2015
Indigo Blue Art Gallery, Singapore, 2014
The Soundphiles Festival, International Art by Women in Radio and Television, 2014
The Lalit Kala Academy, Making of India, curator Vivan Sundaram, India 2014
Drawings, charcoal on canvas, solo show, The Lalit Kala Academy Gallery, New Delhi, 2014
55th international Venice Biennale, Imago Mundi Foundation, Collateral event 2013
Sarai Reader Exhibition, curated by RAQS Media Collective, Devi Museum of Contemporary Art, India 2013
The Gandhi King Plaza, India International Centre, India 2013
Gallery Art Konsult, mixed media artworks, solo show, New Delhi, 2012
Raza Awardees Exhibition, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi, 2012
Myth and Memory, Gallery Engendered, Mumbai 2011
Contemporary Drawings, curator Amit Mukhopadhyay, Emami Chisel Art, Calcutta, 2010 Materials of Thought, Oscar Kokoschka Academy, Hohenburg Castle, Salzburg, 2010
Gallery Mueller and Plate, two persons show, Munich, Germany 2009
Ten Creative Forces, curator, Ravi Kumar, Tao Art Gallery, Bombay, 2008-2009
Indifferent History, paintings, solo show, Cymroza Gallery, Bombay, 2008
Indian Contemporary Art, the Asian Art museum, Honk Kong, 2008
Letters from Baton Rouge, solo show, Gallery Shridharani, New Delhi, 2007
Gallery Karma, installation, Paris, France, 2006
The Book of Disquiet, curated by Keshav Malik, Gallerie Romain Rolland, Alliance Francaise, New Delhi, 2005
The Florence Biennale, Duomo de Lorenzo, Florence, Italy, 2004
Gallery Barefoot, installation, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2002
National Museum of Modern Art, Colombo, 2002
Written Word, Apparao Galleries, Madras, 2000
Paintings and drawings, solo show, Lalit Kala Academy Gallery, New Delhi, 2000
Hauz Khas Uneffaced, paintings, solo show, India International Centre, New Delhi, 1999
All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society Gallery, paintings, solo show, 1997
Books with more information on Saba Hasan
Saba Hasan : Undeciphered Fates by Rahul Bhattacharya, Barefoot Publishers, New York
The Indian Art Collectors Handbook by Dr Alka Pande, Roli Books, New Delhi, India
Ten Creative Forces by Keshav Malik, Ravi Kumar Publishers, Paris, France
International Contemporary Artists by Olga Antoniadou, EU Art Publication, UK
Islamic Art, Past and Modern by Nuzhat Kazmi, India
Samvaya published by the Raza Foundation, India