This week we welcome Pranav Sood. Born in 1995 in Punjab, India, Sood pursued a passion for the arts, earned an MFA in painting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2020, and moved to New York after graduation.
Sood’s artistic journey has been marked by notable solo exhibitions including “I Reap What I Sow”, “I am Absolutely Absolute” and “Life is About Love & Love is Complicated” at Abel Contemporary Gallery in 2024, 2022, and 2020 respectively. He has been honored to participate in juried group exhibitions such as the 2021 Spring/Break Art Exhibition, in NYC and the 2019 Wisconsin Triennial at MMoCA. Notably, Sood was selected by the Museum of Wisconsin Art in 2023 as one of ten emerging artists to watch.
Sood’s work has been featured in publications including Bushwick Daily, Hyperallergic, and Artnet Magazine. Recently, his porcelain enamel mural, “I Am More Than Who I Am” was commissioned by the NYC Department of Education’s Public Art for Public Schools program for a new school called Oscar de la Renta Educational Campus in Manhattan.
“I aim to foster ideas of divinity by employing painstakingly rendered patterns and dynamic color palettes to construct a rich stylized iconography. The work represents a strong belief system, an outlook, and the learnings based on self-experiences about the acceptance of decisions made and the outcomes they lead to. Each piece serves as a testament to the strength found in vulnerability and the resilience required to navigate life’s complexities. My art seeks to transform personal struggles into universal narratives, offering viewers a glimpse into the profound and often tumultuous journey of the human spirit,” he writes.
“Using acrylic colors on canvas, I unfold chapters of self-perception, depicting ideas of radical optimism and unwavering determination in the face of trials and tragedies. My work delves into abstract narratives exploring the protagonist’s perpetual existential struggles, themes of identity, familial and romantic relationships, and spiritual quests. Through humor, innuendo, and metaphor, I emphasize the need for devotion. My deeply embedded Indian philosophies and experienced maxims dictate my idealistic approach to life. Memories of visiting Indian temples with family, worshiping, and fascinating godly stories, along with related murals reflecting profound narratives, become the earliest source of inspiration.”
See more of his work on his website.
Check out more of our Artist of the Week features here.
