ABOUT FAWAD TAMAKANT
Ruby at the shore
Fawad Tamakanat (b. 1962, Hyderabad, India) is one of Hyderabad’s most distinguished contemporary artists, celebrated for his evocative figurative paintings, expressive printmaking, and deeply personal visual narratives.
Born into an artistic and literary family, Fawad is the son of renowned Urdu poet Shaz Tamkanat, an influence that instilled in him an early sensitivity towards storytelling and metaphor. He completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), Hyderabad, earning the University Gold Medal in 1986. He later pursued a Master of Fine Arts in Painting at the University of Hyderabad, once again graduating with a Gold Medal in 1990. During this period, he was also awarded the Cultural Scholarship from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.
Fawad began his artistic career primarily as a printmaker. A formative invitation to Denmark for an installation workshop exposed him to leading printmaking studios, where he refined his practice and initially exhibited monochromatic prints. Over time, his artistic vocabulary expanded to include acrylics, watercolours, etching, drypoint and mixed media, allowing him to develop a distinctive visual language that seamlessly moves between figuration and abstraction.
Rather than responding directly to political or social commentary, Tamakanat’s work explores deeply personal concerns—time, memory, identity, desire and the individual’s place within an ever-changing world. His paintings often portray intimate urban moments, solitary figures and symbolic spaces, balancing realism with psychological depth. In later years, his practice also reflected on the growing influence of technology and digital imagery on contemporary life, examining how modern visual culture reshapes perception without losing the emotional power of traditional painting.
Since his first solo exhibition in New Delhi in 1993, Fawad Tamakanat has presented numerous solo exhibitions across India and Europe, including shows in Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad and several galleries and museums in Denmark. His work has also featured in significant group exhibitions in Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong, New York and across India, establishing him as an important voice in contemporary Indian art.
Today, Fawad Tamakanat continues to live and work in Hyderabad. With a career spanning more than three decades, his oeuvre reflects a rare balance of technical mastery, poetic sensibility and narrative richness, making his work instantly recognizable within the landscape of contemporary Indian art.
