Style & Influences

Sapna Dube née Rao is an Indian contemporary artist of the generation that emerged in the wake of the influence of IT and nouveau riche in Bangalore. Dube is a painter, printmaker, muralist, ceramicist and installation artist.

I am a contemporary artist and I speak an international language, but my interest is in things and behaviors that can only be found in India.

Known for her unique style of pop-art & bright coloured drawings and installations, Dube’s art brings to life a world where paint-faced Yakshagana characters run rampant, kaleidoscopic mandalas hypnotize and dahlias dance in some kind of funky parallel universe. If you were to describe her art you could say that it pulsates with an abundant use of colour and is made up of intricate shapes and patterns that vibrate with energy.
Dube describes her work as constantly adapting to her growth process as an artist and human being. Her body of work merges both traditional and digital techniques and extends to other mediums such as ceramics, objects, murals and AR/VR.

“As I watched Es Devlin, Stage Designer some time ago talk in one of the episodes of ‘Abstract – The Art Of Design’ – a Netflix docu series. Devlin said, “In the end everything is only going to exist in peoples memories.” 

This thought has stayed with me ever since and it has been my constant endeavour to create immersive, memorable experiences through my art. I want my art to focus on how the viewer experiences the work and my only desire is to provide an intense, unforgettable experience. And it makes me very happy to see how my art installations make a multitude of people examine, interact, touch, write, feel, think, recall and express themselves.”

‘As an art writer, I want more people to understand, enjoy and appreciate art. Because let’s face it, people are not mind readers. A picture is worth a thousand words, yes. But a short paragraph will open up a bridge to those thousand words.’

She lives and works in Bangalore with her husband and three rather social media savvy dogs who you can find and follow via To_Forgive_Is_Canine on Instagram.

Passions & Pursuits

Dube is one of the top 100 Indian women entrepreneurs chosen from across India by Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B) in 2018 and her innovative start-up Laboratory Of Creativity is incubated at IIM. Her website sapnadube.in just won the Best Arts & Theatre Blog In India’ award at The Indian Blogger awards. 

Dube’s latest series of paintings titled ‘Elephant as God’ to create awareness about Indian elephants in captivity was exhibited at Art Corridor, Taj West End, Bangalore and Venkatappa Art Gallery And Whitefield Art Collective, VR Bengaluru till the end of March 2019 after which it moved to VR Chennai for a month. Her paintings and drawings have appeared in dozens of local publications as well as several galleries and art festivals and her first book ‘Who Is Bangalore’ was published by Srishti School Of Art in Sep 2018 as part of an anthology. She also released her first zine titled ‘Elephant As God’ in the same month. 

As a professional artist chosen by Galerie Sara Arakkal in 2017 as one of the top 6 emerging contemporary artists of India, She believes that she has a unique perspective on life and art that is influenced and inspired by passion and a desire to spread joy.

Sapna Dube has been named as one of top 50 contemporary artists in India twice in the last few years.

A philomath who loves creative expression and exercises her creativity via her many daily creative pursuits, Writing, Ikebana, Gardening, Graphic Design, Decor, Pottery, Jewelry Design, Culinary Art et al. Dube is a life-long puzzler and is currently ranked No.13 in Bangalore at the Times Sudoku Championship and won the all-India TOI Crossword Contest in 2023. An avid reader, Yogini and Vipasana meditator, she takes her inner happiness very seriously. A passionate advocate for animal welfare, Dube loves birding and everything nature. She regularly posts on her visual dog blog To Forgive Is Canine –  dedicated to her three fluffy dog models, celebrating their lives, along with sharing dog raising tips and secret DIYs. This is a creative outlet that combines her other three passions in life; animals, photography and design. Dube wants this to be a place where dog lovers can find the inspiration for living well with their pets. In her free time, she also likes to unwind with the strategy card game, Canasta.