PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY
Migration
Acrylic on Canvas 106.68 × 121.92 cm
Award Winner of Rs. 40,000/-

Sreetama Nandi (b. 1991, Kolkata) is a painter who completed her BFA and MFA in Painting from Rabindra Bharati University with First Class honors. She has participated in numerous exhibitions, including those at the Academy of Fine Arts, Aakriti Art Gallery, and the Birla Academy of Art and Culture. Sreetama's work focuses on the relationship between nature and urbanization, exploring ecological issues and the struggles of wildlife amid modern development. Her recent series, Migration, symbolizes displacement and survival, raising awareness about overlooked life forms in a changing world.

Her work “Migration” symbolizes the forced displacement of nature due to urban expansion. At its center, a yellow excavator, typically a symbol of destruction, carries a diverse collection of flora and fauna, suspended above a chaotic cityscape. The contrast between vibrant life and the dull urban environment highlights the tension between nature’s survival and human development. The excavator becomes a paradox—both a tool of destruction and a potential savior. The painting calls for reflection on the environmental cost of development and challenges viewers to rethink our relationship with nature.