Born in West Bengal, Tanmoy Samanta studied at Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan. He has exhibited at prestigious venues such as Gallery Espace in New Delhi, Tarq and CSMVS in Mumbai, Anant Art Gallery in Kolkata, and The Gallery in Cork Street, London. His works have been featured in global art fairs, including those in Dubai, Dhaka, and the India Art Fair. Samanta was a fellow at the Vermont Studio Center, USA (2014), and is a recipient of the 2003 Pollock-Krasner Foundation Award.
Samanta’s art transforms everyday objects into intriguing iconographic representations by layering rice paper with gouache colours, offering them in an unfamiliar light. This layered approach, with its instinctive rendering of objects and their interactions, invites the viewer into a deeper exploration, as hidden meanings emerge from its many layers. Through geometric abstraction, Samanta shapes familiar objects, enhancing them with the use of color and translucency. His manipulation of space, depth, and the interplay of sharp and blurred contours results in surreal compositions that carry symbolic weight. Close inspection of his work reveals subtle discoveries and challenges conventional visual perceptions.
He currently lives and works in New Delhi.