Diwan Manna portrait by Kenji Suzuki

Biography: 

Diwan Manna

Artist/photographer 

Address: # 2173, Sector 15C, Chandigarh 160 015, India

Mob: +91-9814015079

Email: diwanmanna@usa.net, diwan@diwanmanna.com

Web: www.diwanmanna.com

Born 1958, at Bareta, District Mansa (previously Bathinda), Punjab, India

Studied 1977-82, Graphic Art/ print making, Government College of Art, Chandigarh, India

Current occupation: President (honorary), Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi (State Academy of Art, Ministry of Culture, Government of Punjab)

EXHIBITIONS (INDIVIDUAL)

• Ages of Separation – Exhibition of Photographs, Curator Dr. Alka Pande, presented by Art Room, at Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat center, New Delhi September 2006, and at Gallery Art   Room, New Delhi, Oct 2006
• After The Turmoil, Exhibition of photographs, International Art Centre, Paszkowka Palace, Krakow, Poland 2003-2004
• Exhibition of Photographs, Barga, Italy, 2003
• Window on Time, Galerie Bateau Lavoir, Paris, France 2001
• Wheel of Time, Alliance Francaise Le Corbusier de Chandigarh, 2000
• Photographs of Series: Alienation, Violence, Dhaba, Goat’s Eye and Shores of the Unknown at The Museum of Indian Art (Now known as Museum of Asian Art), Berlin, Germany, 2000
• Shores Of the Unknown, Galerie Bellevue, Berlin, Germany, 2000
• “Rooh Punjab Di”, Photographic Documentation of Rare Folk Musical Instruments and their players in Punjab, Central Plaza, Sector 17, Chandigarh, 1999
• Shropshire County Council, Shrewsbury, U K., 1997
• Galleries, Sprout Farm, Telford, U K., 1997
• Waking the Dead, Rowley’s Museum, Shrewsbury, U K., 1997
• AIFACS Galleries, New Delhi, India, 1997
• Dewsbury Museum, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, U K., 1996
• Exhibition of photographs on Taj Mahal, Le Route des Indes, Paris, France, 1994
• Galleries of West Midlands Art, Birmingham, U K., 1994
• Traveling Show organized in UK. by Light House Media Center, Wolverhampton, U. K. 1993-2000
• Light House Media Center, Wolverhampton, U K., 1993 as part of South Asian Visual Arts Festival
• Modern Art Gallery, Sheesh Mahal, Patiala, Punjab, India, 1993
• Museum of Fine Arts, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India 1992
• Museum of Fine Arts, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India 1986

EXHIBITIONS (GROUP)

• Bodhgaya Biennale, December 2016
• 'Le Corbusier - Mastering the Image' Exhibition, by the Embassy of Switzerland in India in collaboration with Museum of Fine Arts of La-Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland and Foundation Le Corbusier, France at NGMA, Bangalore April 2016, Embassy of Switzerland, November 2015, Govt. Museum & Art Gallery, Chandigarh, October 2015, Curated by Sphie Vantieghem, Asstt. Curator Museum of Fine Arts, La-Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland
• Articulate 2011 - An Exhibition of Contemporary photography- Saffron Art and Pratham U.K. Bond Street London, October 2011
• 150 Years of Income Tax in India- Lalit Kala Akademiy Galleries, New Delhi; Chandigarh, Lucknow, Jaipur and other places 2011
• The Wonder that is India- A Visual Map: Group Exhibition of 8 Photographers, Curated by Dr. Alka Pande at Instituto Cervantes Nueva Delhi, (Spanish Cultural Center) as part of India Art Summit 2009
• Click! Contemporary Photography in India, presented by Vadehra Art Gallery and Photomedia, Curated by Suneil Gupta and Radhika Singh at Grosvenor Gallery, London, 27^th Feb-27^th March 2008, and at Vadehra Art Gallery, Delhi, March 2008
• Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Alliance Francaise de Chandigarh, April 2008
• Regards Croises Franco - Indien (Indo - French Glances) Firminy-Chandigarh, Le Corbusier by two photographers – Diwan Manna and Michel Dieudonne, Curator Martine Dancer, at Art Gallery Alliance Francaise de Chandigarh Oct 2007; Apparao Gallery, Chennai, Feb 2008; Alliance Francaise Gallery, Bangalore, March 2008, Gallery Romaine Rolland, Alliance Francaise de Delhi, April 2008, Alliance Francaise  Trivandrum, Alliance Francaise, Kolkata, Alliance Francaise, Bangalore
• Brasilia-Chandigarh-Le Havre, Portraits de Villes, Musee Malraux, Le Havre, France, June-Sep 2007
• Regards Croises Franco - Indien ( Indo - French Glances) Firminy-Chandigarh, Le Corbusier by two photographers – Diwan Manna and Michel Dieudonne, Curator Martine Dancer at Unite de la Habitation, Firminy, St-Etienne, France, Nov 2006-Jan 2007
• Lille 2007, Le Corbusier a Chandigarh 1951-2006, Exhibition of photographs by three photographers: Diwan Manna from India , Stephane Couturier and late Lucien Harve from France, Curator Yannick Courbes at Musee des Beaux-Arts Tourcoing, France, Oct 2006-Jan 2007
• Decisive Moment, Exhibition of India’s largest photography collection, by PFA, New Delhi, Sep 2005
• Singular Indentities, Curator Dr. Alka Pande, Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Center, New Delhi, 2004
• Group show of five artists at Alliance Francaise Le Corbusier de Chandigarh, June 2000
• Inaugural show by the Gallery Art Folio, Chandigarh (including artists from all over India) 1998
• Five Artists from Punjab, Galleries of English Bridge Workshop Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, K., 1997
• 50 Years of Independence Show, “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”, Government Museum & Art Gallery, Chandigarh, 1997
• Annual Art Exhibition, Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi, Chandigarh (as an invited artist), 1997
• Annual Art Exhibition, Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi, Chandigarh (as an invited artist), 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
• 3^rd All India Photography Exhibition, AIFACS, New Delhi and Chandigarh, 1996
• National Exhibition of Photography, Central Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi, 1996
• 2^nd All India Photography Exhibition, AIFACS, New Delhi and Chandigarh, 1995
• Exhibition of Photographs of “Project Punjab” (30 photographers from all over India were invited to photograph the Punjab State for six days: sponsored by Kodak India and NZCC) at National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, Mumbai (Bombay), Chandigarh, 1995 and UK
• South Asian Visual Arts Festival, Wolverhampton Museum, K., 1993
• All India Photo Exhibition, North Zone Cultural Center (NZCC), at New Delhi, Jaipur, Patiala and Chandigarh, 1991
• International Exhibition of Graphic Art & Photography, AIFACS (All India Fine Arts & Crafts Society), New Delhi, 1988
• National Exhibition of Art, Central Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi, 1982

AWARDS

• National Academy Award, Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi (National Academy of Art), India 1996
• All India Photography Award, AIFACS, New Delhi, 1996                 
• All India Photography Award, AIFACS, New Delhi, 1995
• All India Photography Award, North Zone Cultural Center, India 1991
• All India Exhibition of Photo prints & Graphics, State Department of Language, Art & Culture, Himachal Pradesh, Shimla, India 1984

HONOUR

• Photo Artist of the Year Honor, on the occasion of 19^th Biennial Convention of Federation of Indian Photography (FIP), 1998
• State Lalit Kala Academy, Punjab, India 1996
• Honour, Chandigarh Administration, 2008

ARTIST in RESIDENCE

• As part of Cultural Exchange between St-Etienne Metroplole France and Chandigarh, India,

To photograph Le Corbusier creations in Firminy, France by Diwan Manna and by Michel Dieudonne in Chandigarh 2006

• Conducted Multimedia Workshops for children below 3 years, parents and teachers at Sure Start, Birmingham County, UK, Sep 2003
• Conducted Photography Workshop at Rhyn Park Secondary School, K., 2001
• Conducted Photography Workshop at Rhyn Park Secondary School, U.K, 1998
• Conducted Multimedia Workshop in two schools in Shropshire, K., 1997
• Conducted Multimedia Workshop for Community Center, Wolverhampton, K., July, 1997
• Conducted Photography Workshop at Rhyn Park Secondary School, K., September – October, 1996
• Conducted Multimedia Workshops with women and children at Dewsbury Museum, West Yorkshire, U.K., 1996
• Conducted Multimedia Workshop for children (4 –18 years) at Chandigarh Press Club, 1993
• Conducted Multimedia Workshops (on Painting, Acting and Photography) in schools of 10 towns in Shropshire, K., February - April, 1993
• Conducted Multimedia Workshops in schools of two towns in Shropshire, K., October - November, 1993

Art Workshop

• Participated in an Art Workshop by Bihar Lalit Kala Akademi, Patna,  2014

SHOWS OF WORK DONE IN WORKSHOPS

• An exhibition of work done by students from K. (during the workshops conducted by Diwan Manna) at Rhyn Park, Telford, Oswestry and other places, 1993-96
• An exhibition of work done by workshop students from Chandigarh and K., at Punjab Arts Council, Chandigarh, 1994

AUDIO-VISUAL LECTURES

• Discussion/lecture at Photography School in Galeria OKO, Krakow, Poland, 2003
• An audio-visual lecture on “my photographic experience”, Alliance Francaise, Le Corbusier de Chandigarh, 2001
• Slide Lecture - International Psychology Conference, Panjab University, Chandigarh, November 2010
• An audio-visual lecture at Government Museum, Bhubaneshwar, organised by department of Culture, Govt. of Odisha, Odisha Lalit Kala Akademi, JDCA, and Regional Center Bhubaneshwatr, Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi
• An audio-visual lecture organised by department of Culture, Government of Bihar, Patna
• An audio-visual lecture - Delhi Photo Festival, India Habitat Center, New Delhi
• An audio-visual lecture and Interactive Session - Swiss Embassy, New Delhi, November 2015
• An audio-visual lecture - Bharat Bhawan Bhopal at the Invitation of SCZCC, Nagpur
• An audio-visual lecture and Interactive Session- For Chandigarh Photographic Society of World Photography Day 2016 Festival, India Habitat Center, New Delhi
• An audio-visual lecture and Interactive Session - Chandigarh University 2016

COLLECTION

• Museum of Asian Art, Berlin, Germany 14 works
• Museum of Modern Art St-Etienne 28 works
• St-Etienne Metropolitan Council, France
• Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh, India 4 works
• Fine Arts Museum, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
• Deutsche Bank 8 works
• Rhyn Park Secondary School, UK, 20 works (One of 25 best Schools in UK)
• Shropshire County Council, UK, 8 works
• Private Collections in USA, Canada, Brazil, France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Holland, UK,  Poland, Taiwan, Indonesia and India
• Governor House, Punjab, Chandigarh

Display

• Solo Display of photographs at HSBC Bank Gallery, Chandigarh, India 2001-2004

Seminars - Discussions

• Panel Discussion, Limits and Possibilities of Architectural Photography, along with Ariel Huber, Ram Rahman and Pankaj Vir Gupta, Embassy of Switzerland, New Delhi November 2015
• Panel Discussion, along with Nonika Singh and Nirupama Dutt, PALF, ( Panchkula Arts and Literary Festival) 2016
• Participated in Cultural Business Matching - Along the Silk Road at Museo Nazionale Romano alle Terme di Diocleziano, Rome, Italy 2010
• Participated in I – LAN International Folklore, Folk games and Folk music festival, Taiwan, in July- August 2000

Curator

•    Curated an exhibition of 8 French artists, at Fine Arts Museum, Panjab University, Chandigarh 1998

    Organisation of Events

•    As Chairman of Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi  organized audio visual presentations cum interactive sessions by      some of the most prominent signatures of Indian art scene such as: Subodh Gupta, Sudarshan Shetty, Jitish Kallat, Atul    Dodiya, Anju Dodiya, Dayanita Singh, Bharti Kher, Anjolie Ela Menon, Krishen Khanna, Gulammohammed Sheikh, Vivan    Sundaram, Ashok Vajpeyi, Raghu Rai, Muzaffar Ali, Jatin Das,  Alka Pande, Avtarjeet Dhanjal, Paramjit Singh, Professor      Bulent Atalay from the USA, Jiten Thukral and Samir Tagra of Thukral & Tagra, Monica Narula and Jeebesh Bagchi of          Raqs Media Collective, Mr. Sakti Burman,  Mr. Ranbir Kaleka,  Professor B. N. Goswamy, Ina Puri, Akbar Padamsee,            Subodh Kerkar, Johny ML, Manjunath Kamath, Vijay Singh, Sudhir Kakar, S Kalidas, Pushpamala N, Sheba Chhachhi, Dr.    Kavita Singh, Mithu Sen, Girish Shahane, Navina Sundaram, Mr. Sadanand Menon, Dr. Tasneem Mehta, Dr.                      Roobina Karode, Bhavna Kakar, Nanak Ganguly, Shri Sudhir Patwardhan, Kanchan Chander, Amit Dutta, Suresh                Chhabria, Bose Krishnamachari, Jagannath Panda, Gieve Patel, Rekha Rodwitiya, Manu Parekh, Madhvi Parekh, G R            Iranna, Rajendar Tiku, Balan Nambiar.

• Organised audio visual presentations cum interactive sessions by with some international personalities - Christian Mueller (Architect, Switzerland),  Faqir Aijazuddin ( Art Historian, Pakistan), Dr. Linus Castelmur (Ambassador of Switzerland in India).

• Organised International Art Conclave with the participation of : Ali Najjar (Sweden), Anne Bean (UK), Peter Fink (UK), John Ruppert (USA), Gerd-Alois Zwing (Germany), Sanna Karlsson-Sutisna (Finland), Richard Cox (UK), Richard Deacon (UK).

• Organised Amrita Sher-Gil National Art Week with the participation of 20 most significant artists, art critics, art historians of India.

• Organised National Art week of New Media with the participation of 8 significant artists, art critics, art historians of the country.

• Organised other events in collaboration with National Lalit Kala Akademi,  the French Embassy, Embassy of Switzerland, Alliance Francaise and the Canadian Consulate.

• Organized exhibitions of art works of Paramjit Singh, Raghu Rai,  Jatin Das, Bireswar Sen, Vivan Sundaram, Umrao Singh Sher-Gil and K G subramanian.

• Organised art workshops by Jatin Das, Paramjit Singh, Raghu Rai, Atul Dodiya, Subodh Kerkar, Vijay Sharma, Sudhir Patwardhan, Manu Parekh, Madhvi Parekh, G R Iranna, Rajendar Tiku, Suresh Chabria (Film Appreciation), Latika Katt.

• Published (for Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi) catalogues of the exhibitions of Raghu Rai, Paramjit Singh, Jatin Das and Bireswar Sen, Marc Giai-Miniet (France).

• Published (for Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi) catalogues for International Art Conclave, National Art Week of New Media, Amrita Sher-Gil National Art Week

• Published (for Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi) catalogues for Annual Art Exhibitions 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and Scholarship Holders' Exhibition 2010.

• Archive of Video Films (for Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi):

        Made approximately 190 Video films of all the above mentioned events, recorded interviews of the artists and made all the         Videos available on Youtube and website of Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi for the benefit of scholars on art, art lovers and           artists. Most likely, this is, as of now, the most comprehensive video archive on contemporary Indian Artists. 

As Director Triennale India

• Organised a seminar: Peripheries of Globalization: Re-mapping the global contemporary through biennales and triennales for Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi, in the capacity of Director Triennale India, at Kochi Muziris Biennale, on 4 & 5 February, 2015 at the Pavilion, Aspinwall House, Fort Kochi with the participation of : Gayatri Sinha, Sadanand Menon, Girish Shahane, Gieve Patel, Nancy Adajania and Ranbir Kaleka.

CO-ORDINATION

• Chief Coordinator of All India Seminar for Photography, Chandigarh, 1987, organised by North Zone Cultural Center Patiala.
• Chief Coordinator of All India Photography Competition in Chandigarh Festival, 1987 organised by North Zone Cultural Center Patiala.
• Coordinator of All India Seminar on Art & Culture, Chail, Himachal Pradesh, India 1987, organised by North Zone Cultural Center Patiala.

PUBLICATION

• “From Mustard Fields to Disco Lights: Folk Music and Musical Instruments of Punjab” by Dr. Alka Pande, photographs by Diwan Manna, published by MAPINS
• Catalogue Ages of Separation 2007, Published by Gallery Art Room
• Catalogue Indo French Glances 2006, Published by St-Etienne Metropolitan Council, France.

COMMISSIONS

• Chief Photographer for Apna Utsav (an all-India cultural extravaganza having approximately 5,000 artists as participants) for NZCC at New Delhi, 1986
• Photographic documentation of life, handicrafts, costumes, jewelry, food and architecture in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh for NZCC, 1986-91
• Chief Photographer for Apna Utsav for NZCC at Mumbai (Bombay), 1990
• Photographic documentation of Indian classical music and dance concerts for NZCC, 1989-91
• Photographic documentation of Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan (117 year old Classical Music Festival) at Jalandhar, 1990-92
• Photographic documentation of folk theatre forms of North India, 1989-92
• Photographic documentation of folk music forms and musical instruments of North India, 1989-92
• Photographic documentation of rare folk music instruments and their players in Punjab for a coffee-table book and a traveling exhibition, 1998-99

TELEVISION AND THEATRE

• Researched, scripted and presented a TV documentary on painter Raj Jain for Doordarshan, 1986
• Directed and acted in street plays and TV plays, 1978-82
• Acted in a film “Disturbed Area” made by Khwaja Ahmed Abbas and Imtiaz Khan, based on a play directed by Gurcharan Channi, 1978-79                                                                                                                 
• Participated in a theatre workshop on Body Language conducted by Badal Sircar, 1979
• Co-directed and scripted a street play “Satta Ke Jangal” with Navtej Singh Johar (Indian classical dancer), 1982

Social responsibilities

• Director Triennale India, National Lalit Kala Akademi (National Academy of Art, Ministry of Culture, Government of India), New Delhi, May 2014 - December 2015
• Chairman, Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi, (State Academy of Art) June 2008 - July 2015
• Member, First Court (Governing Body) Central University of Haryana, Mahendergarh, Haryana 2014-17
• Member, Executive Committee, Alliance Francaise, Chandigarh since 2008
• Member, Executive Committee, Punjab University Alumni Association 2014-15, 2015-16
• Member, Advisory Committee, Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh
• Member, Purchase Committee for Contemporary Art, Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh
• Member, Governing Body, North Zone Cultural Center, Patiala. June  2008 - July 2015
• Member Governing Body, North Zone Cultural Center, Patiala, September 2016 onwards.
• Member, Advisory Committee on art and culture, Chandigarh Administration 2010-2015
• Member, Chandigarh Film Society, Since 1984
• Honorary Member, Chandigarh Press Club Since 2000
• President (honorary), Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi (State Academy of Art, Ministry of Culture, Government of Punjab) October 2016 onwards