Manupriam started to draw at the age of one and picked up sketching at the age of 4. Since then he has pursued his passion for drawing and painting, along with his career as an architect and educationist. He has received several awards, scholarships, and grants for his talent and keen sense of contribution to the fields of creativity and art.
He started his active role in Dubai’s art scene from his art gallery and creative studio in Al quoze, an atelier for more than a decade. He is the founder of the Dubai chapter of Urban Sketchers, Co-founder of Sandscapes, an art and music event, and ex-coordinator for ‘Kalangan’, the Indian Fine Arts Society under the auspices of the Indian Association. He has actively engaged with Dubai Culture Authority, Dubai Design District, Al Serkal Avenue, Art Jameel Foundation, and several universities in UAE to foster the environment of artistic creativity through his masterclasses and sketching workshops. ‘Shanqoo’ is Manupriam’s pen name. The name was fondly given to him by his grandmother and signifies the one who wears Shankh (Conch) in his hair.
Manupriam’s work spans from highly realistic work to abstracts and somewhere in between. Space is an intrinsic quality of all his works where the strong composition of the work holds the theme with drawn and undrawn surfaces. With a strong inclination towards the power of lines, his works have a distinct graphic quality where the subtlety and sensuality of lines coexist with swaths of color. Some of the works are underpinned by the masterful strokes associated with the characteristic of the media like pen and ink, soft pencil, Conte, or bold markers. Having worked in UAE since 1992, his sketchbooks have captured a variety of valuable spots and themes across the nation. These are rare visual records and a unique graphic window into the countries journey in the past three decades. He is working towards publishing them as visual
Precious Water
Eluding Realities
'GOSSIP' a quintessential characteristic of sapiens has turned into a storm where the social media has taken an indestructible foothold. The drawing for this piece was done in 1994, when I was collecting my thoughts on various human emotions. Now the piece
'NIGHTLIFE' On location scape at one of the popular cafe in the Al Quoze Cultural District.
'CONTINUUM' Realistic abstract piece depicting the journey of ideas and inspirations through generations. It’s a continuous process valued by al all cultures across the world.
