DEV CHANDRA
Artist
About Me
My name is Chandra Kesh, but I work as Dev Chandra in the art world. I was born on 3 May 1993 in Mungra Badshahpur, a small town in Jaunpur district, Uttar Pradesh. Since childhood, I always felt close to painting and the quiet presence of nature. Slowly, this connection took me to the Faculty of Visual Arts at Banaras Hindu University, where I completed my Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2014.
After my studies, life brought me to Mumbai. There I worked in commercial art and graphic design. During that time, I learned a lot about colors, visual language, and technical discipline. But somewhere inside, my connection always remained with painting. Once life became a little stable, I slowly returned to my real practice as an artist.
The roots of my work come from the Himalayas and my childhood memories. Traveling through the mountains changed me deeply. The silence of the valleys, changing light, distant landscapes, and quiet nights slowly became part of my inner world. I realized mountains are not just physical places; they also carry memory, solitude, contemplation, and emotion.
My grandmother’s stories also had a deep impact on my work. As a child, I listened to her stories about mountains, forests, nature, and old folk tales. Those memories still live inside me and continue to appear in my paintings. Maybe that is why small houses, distant lights, mountains, moons, and silent spaces return again and again in my work.
I do not try to paint realistic landscapes. I am more interested in painting emotions and states of mind that cannot always be explained in words silence, distance, memory, loneliness, hope, and the quiet inner world we all carry within ourselves. For me, mountains are not only mountains; they are emotional and spiritual spaces.
The evenings and nights of the Himalayas deeply influence the atmosphere of my paintings. Mist, fading light, dark skies, and vast silence become part of my colors and visual language. I want my paintings to feel less like images and more like experiences.
For me, art is not only about creating something visual. It is a way of returning to myself, preserving memories, and staying connected to nature, silence, and the emotional world that exists within all of us.
Dev Chandra
Artist Statement
My artistic journey has slowly grown through my travels in the Himalayas. Over time, the mountains became more than just landscapes for me. They became places of silence, memory, learning, and self-reflection. Walking through distant valleys, dark nights, changing skies, and quiet villages made me deeply feel life, loneliness, fear, hope, prayer, and the connection between human beings and nature.
My work is not about painting mountains in a realistic way. I am more interested in painting the feeling and emotional state of a place. Through my paintings, I try to capture silence, emotional distance, memories, and the inner world that often cannot be fully expressed in words.
Many of my ideas come from childhood memories and the stories my grandmother told me about mountains, forests, spirits, and nature. Those memories still live inside me and slowly appear in my work. Sometimes a small house hidden between mountains reminds me of her home, a feeling where belonging, warmth, and distance exist together at the same time.
I work through layers because I feel everything in life carries many layers within itself memories, emotions, silence, dreams, and time. My paintings move between surreal landscapes, dream-like atmospheres, symbolic forms, and emotional states. Mountains, towers, moons, clouds, and empty spaces are not just objects in my work; they become symbols of solitude, contemplation, memory, and spiritual presence.
Silence plays a very important role in my paintings. I often create empty landscapes, dark valleys, distant lights, and isolated structures because I want the viewer to pause for a moment, slow down, and enter a quiet emotional space. I am more interested in painting the feeling of a place than its physical reality.
The colors and atmosphere of my work are deeply inspired by Himalayan evenings and nights that mysterious moment when light slowly disappears into darkness. Every brushstroke carries personal experience, memory, and emotion within it.
For me, painting is not only about creating an image. It is a way of remembering, reflecting, and staying connected to nature, memory, and the invisible emotional world that exists within all of us.
Dev Chandra
Education
2014-2015
BRDS, Ahmedabad
BRDS is a well-known design institution in Ahmedabad, where I practiced and explored how design works in everyday life. During this course, I studied design principles with a focus on form, function, and functionality. This experience helped me understand how artistic expression and design thinking complement each other, enabling me to bridge the gap between the two disciplines.
2010-2014
Visual arts, B.H.U
I completed my graduation in Visual Arts at Banaras Hindu University, specializing in Painting as my major subject. My academic journey provided me with a strong foundation in both traditional and contemporary art practices. I gained in-depth knowledge of drawing, portraiture, and figure studies, along with an understanding of lifestyle and cultural representations in art. The program also nurtured my skills in art history, aesthetics, and creative expression, helping me develop both technical expertise and a critical perspective on visual arts.
2007-2009
C.A.V Inter College, Alld.
I studied at C.A.V. Inter College, a science-focused intermediate college located in Civil Lines, Prayagraj (Allahabad), India. The college offers offline instruction for students in grades 11 and 12. I completed my 11th and 12th grades there with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as my core subjects.
Work Experiance
2015-2017
TGEH, Mumbai
Junior Designer
The Great Eastern Home, located in Byculla, South Mumbai, is a premier luxury destination for interiors and fine living. Renowned for its antiques, vintage collectibles, handcrafted furniture, fine art, and home décor, it provided me with the perfect platform to begin my professional journey. I started there as a Junior Graphic Designer, and after two years of dedicated work, I was promoted to Lead Designer.
2017-2019
Ficus Fine Living
Lead Designer
Ficus Fine Living, a Mumbai-based modern and contemporary home décor company, gave me the opportunity to deepen my expertise in design and branding. As a Senior Designer, my focus was on developing a cohesive design language, working on core concepts, and strengthening the brand’s visual identity. My role involved blending aesthetics with functionality to reflect the company’s vision of contemporary fine living.
2019-2021
Nine Fish Art Gallery
Concept & Exhibition Designer
Nine Fish Art Gallery, based in Mumbai, is a modern and contemporary space dedicated to promoting young artists alongside established masters of India. As a Concept Exhibition Designer, I was responsible for designing the gallery’s shows, developing exhibition formats, and creating engaging visual narratives. My role also included working closely with the management team and curator on artist promotion, ensuring each exhibition reflected both artistic vision and curatorial direction.
2021-2023
Dev Chandra Designs
Founder
Dev Chandra Designs, based in Mumbai, is a modern and contemporary design firm that provides bespoke design solutions across India, with a focus on paintings, prints, and wallpapers. Through market research and industry experience, I identified a gap between market demand and design value. This led me to start my own venture, where I combine my expertise in art and design to offer innovative solutions that bridge this gap.
2023-2025
Independent art Practice
Artist
After experiencing periods of overthinking and pressure, I returned to my roots through my independent art practice. Over the last two years, I have devoted time to traveling, writing, and painting—refilling myself with creativity and reconnecting with my originality. In parallel, DC Designs has successfully led several noteworthy projects, delivering innovative design solutions and bespoke creations for clients. The studio remains committed to its core values, never compromising on design quality or client satisfaction.
Awards
2012
Visual Arts, B.H.U
Participated in the National Artists Camp, organized by the Faculty of Visual Arts, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.
2011-2014
Visual Arts, B.H.U
2012
Visual Arts, B.H.U
2011
Visual Arts, B.H.U
2015
UID, Ahmedabad
2011
Visual Arts, B.H.U
2011
Visual Arts, B.H.U
2011
Visual Arts, B.H.U
Awarded 1st Prize at Spandan, organized by the Faculty of Visual Arts, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.
Awarded 2nd Prize in the Mimicry competition at Spandan, organized by the Faculty of Visual Arts, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.
Awarded 2nd Prize in the Mimicry competition at Spandan, organized by the Faculty of Visual Arts, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.
Awarded 2nd Prize in the Heal the World competition at the University of Design (UID), Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Awarded 1st Prize in a Poster Making Competition organized as part of Elixir by the Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.
Awarded 1st Prize in the Annual Art Exhibition organized by the Faculty of Visual Arts, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.
Awarded 3rd Prize in the Expressions competition at Spandan, the annual art and cultural program organized by the Faculty of Visual Arts, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.
2009
C A V Inter College
Awarded First Prize in an on-the-spot painting competition on the theme ‘Save Water’, organized by C.A.V. Inter College at Nani Bridge in association with Jal Nigam, Allahabad, and conducted by artist Brij Mohan Yadav.
Exhibition
2026
Alpenglow
Dual Painting show at Kamalnayan Bajaj Hall & Art Gallery, Bajaj Bhavan, 226, Nariman Point, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400021
2026
Brown & Green
Group show at Nine FIsh Art Gallery, Mumbai
2024
Himalayan Nights
The Nicholas Roerich Art Gallery - Kullu District, Himachal Pradesh, India.
2024
Art Atrium
Acetech, NESCO goregaon, Mumbai.
2024
India Art Fesitval
India Art Festival, Nehru Centre Worli, Mumbai.
2019
Art Atrium
Acetech, NESCO goregaon, Mumbai.
2017
ART 35
Art 35 The Great Eastern Home, Mumbai.
2017
ART 35
Art 35 The Great Eastern Home, Mumbai.
2012
Kala Vithika
Visual Arts Gallery, Banaras Hindu University.