Devanjalee Sarkar (b. 1979) lives and works in Pune. She was born in New Delhi and raised in Shillong, Meghalaya. Devanjalee’s artistic journey began with alponah, the traditional Bengali floor art using rice flour. Rather than adhering to conventional motifs, she used this medium to explore abstract forms, an early inclination that later shaped her artistic language.

 

Her exposure to cinema, theater, poetry, and spiritual practices during her studies in mass communication sparked a growing need for artistic expression. This led her to the Bombay film industry, where she worked as an assistant director before deepening her engagement with storytelling through a course in screenplay writing at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in 2008.

 

Devanjalee’s current practice spans visual arts, Butoh, and arts facilitation, all of which share a common thread of exploring the mythical and the mystical. Inspired by the subconscious movement language of Butoh, her work weaves dramatic expressiveness with primitive iconography and mythic fantasy. Her practice embodies an emotional and symbolic depth, navigating the intersection of time, space, and ritualistic imagery.