Amitava Bhattacharya is truly an artist of many parts – a printmaker, painter, calligrapher, historian of East Asian Art and versatile craftsman. He is a practicing artist who exhibits widely in national and international settings to great acclaim. Amitava started off as a printmaker who turned to painting and its multiple offshoots driven by his own creative quest and talent. His distinct style is forged from blending traditional painting approaches with mixed media techniques using an unconventional array of materials.

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He obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Fine Arts from Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan, Kolkata.   In the early 90s he obtained a Chinese Government scholarship to study art and language at the Beijing Language and Culture University. It was here that he took his initial training in ink brush painting under the guidance of veteran artist Li Min Ho, an artistic and learning experience that was to open new doors of inspiration and expression in him. 

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His studentship in China exposed him to the delicate but demanding technique of splashing ink patterns upon absorbent rice paper to obtain the most exquisite yet enigmatic and unpredictable designs and patterns. This was the impetus he needed to develop his own unique brush and ink style that he became known for. In particular he took great pains over a collage tempera – a novel format incorporating rice papers on canvas with ink, glue, pigments and gouache - that was shown at his solo exhibition in Sweden in 2014. Named Kalima – the Black Mother- it was an artistic project of rare imagination that evolved as a collaboration between him and his poet friend Rabi Narayan Das. Despite its complex articulation it was, ultimately, an artistic salutation to Goddess Kali.

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Amitava actively participates in group exhibitions, workshops and conferences on art around the world. He has had solo exhibitions in Beijing and Kunming in China besides numerous cities in India and Europe. His work is found in several private collections and galleries around the world.