Though occupying a high designation in the academic section in the world of art in India, Rajan Fulari is a man of simplicity and humility. He takes whatever hardships comes his way with a smile and as a lesson well learnt for his future. That is the reason that he can balance his work as a dean and professor of visual art at the World University of Design in New Delhi as well as concentrate on his art and have consistent exhibitions in painting and printmaking. Skilled in printmaking, contemporary art, installation art, art education, and painting, Fulari is often considered the link between national and local art exhibitions. Working as a lecturer for almost 30 years, Fulari can be considered as one of the most experienced art academicians in Goa.
Fulari completed his Bachelors in Painting at Goa College of Arts, Panjim, with a dissertation on ‘The Eternal Search’ followed by his Masters in Graphics at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda, with a dissertation on ‘Advent Of The Art Of Printing The Contemporary Art Scene In Goa’. He was also awarded the Yuva Srujan Puraskar in visual art in 2013. Presently, as a dean of the visual arts branch at World University of Design, he is heading the faculty of eight teachers and 45 students with subjects such as digital drawing and illustration, contemporary art practice, curatorial art practises and creative painting. “I believe you have to give your best for the circumstances you are going through. If I was allowed to continue with teaching in Goa, I would not have moved to so many colleges and now university across the country. Art itself is meditative and you draw or paint or create something which is satisfying. Now, I am back in Delhi with my family and post Covid, the art world is moving very fast,” says Fulari, who hails from the village of Siolim.
As a dean, Fulari has to keep himself updated with the latest in the world of art, “You are responsible to know what is happening in the art world. Near 80 percent is now practical information and the students are so exposed to information. In our time, we were limited with information but we were more focused. Now, the students are exposed to such a large scale that it can be dicey with thousands of techniques and materials. It is the responsibility of the teacher to bridge the gap for the students,” he explains. He is accountable to not just the education of the students but also acts as a bridge between the administration and finances of the university.
Living in cities like Chennai and New Delhi, Fulari is often the link for Goan artists to connect to other national and international artists, “Whenever there is any art related event, I always inform the Goan artists. I tell the Goan artists to come to Delhi as I can say that I am the link to the art scene. I make it a point to get the information across to Goa. I curate and coordinate a lot of activities for printmaking across India and I find that Goan artists are still connected to their roots which shows in their works,” says Fulari.
Fulari has had numerous solo as well as group exhibitions in India and abroad. His most recent solo exhibition was by the 11th World Print Triennial at Galerie Municipale d’Art Contempora in Chamalieres, France, from October 16 to November 7, 2021. It was for the first time that an Indian artist, that too a Goan artist, was invited to exhibit alongside art greats like Rembrandt, a Dutch Baroque painter and printmaker. Unfortunately, only his 22 prints in various mediums of printmaking were on display and he could not attend the exhibition in person. “I was a student at Goa College of Art, Panjim, when Naguesh Rao Sardesai and I organised our first group exhibition, ‘Brushstrokes 90’, with works by our classmates and the chief guest was Shakti Sinha, Chief Secretary in Goa. Since then, it was my dream to have my works on exhibition along with great world artists. Unfortunately, it was the time of exams at Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, and due to strict Covid norms in Europe, I could not travel for the exhibition,” explains Fulari.
However, one exhibition that will forever remain etched in his memory will be the 2009 solo exhibition, ‘The Naked Truth’ at Halliwells House Museum, Selkirk, Scotland, in 2009. “I was invited by the Scottish Borders Council, Selkirk-Scotland, and it was a really stressful time as I had to leave my wife Aarti and my young daughter Swastika, in Delhi and travel for the exhibition. During my travel, while in transit at Heathrow Airport, I lost my baggage which include the roll of work of my 20 paintings. I landed in Scotland without a single paintings and just in time of the exhibition, the painting were found and delivered to the gallery. I will never forget that exhibition,” says Fulari.
Speaking about his future plans, Fulari says, “I have a dream project which I want to give back to my motherland so I want to start some major activity in Goa. I plan to launch it soon, which will be known on a national as well as an international level. I am also working on a curatorial project with artists from Vietnam and India. On the occasion of the India’s 75th Independence Day celebrations, I am working with the students of Lucknow University who will be creating 75 lithographs. We have been working on it for a long time and it will be showcased in Lucknow and in Delhi in the next
two months.”
