Profile:

Born 1978, Gujarat | Lives and works in Vadodara

Mansoor Ali is a contemporary sculptor and installation artist whose works critically examine structures of power, identity, and socio-political narratives. With a practice spanning over two decades, he has developed a distinctive voice that combines conceptual rigour with bold material experimentation—often incorporating industrial forms, found objects, and interactive elements to engage viewers in layered conversations.

Mansoor received both his BFA (2002) and MFA (2004) in Sculpture from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor at the same institution and was formerly associated with the RAQS Media Collective, New Delhi, as a project coordinator between 2012 and 2014.

His solo exhibitions—Whose Chair Is It, Anyway? (CIMA, Kolkata, 2016) and Anatomy of an Unknown Chair (Gallery Maskara, Mumbai, 2014)—reflect his ongoing inquiry into institutional authority and societal hierarchies. Mansoor’s installations have also been part of major international platforms, including the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (2014, collateral project The Edge Effect), India Art Fair, Artissima (Italy), and the Saatchi Gallery exhibition Empire Strikes Back: Contemporary Indian Art Today (London, 2010).

He has participated in a wide range of curated group exhibitions and residencies across India and abroad—including shows at Aakriti Art Gallery (Kolkata), Gallery Maskara (Mumbai), The Stainless Gallery (New Delhi), Kalakriti (Hyderabad), Jeonbuk Museum of Art (South Korea), and Gothenburg (Sweden). His conceptual series such as Dance of Democracy, Alliance, and Jugaad Technology have been critically reviewed and featured in several art publications including Art India, Platform Magazine, and Verve.

Mansoor is the recipient of the prestigious CIMA Artist Award (2015) and qualified for the UGC-NET in 2018. His works are held in prominent private and institutional collections including the Charles Saatchi Collection (London), Karen & Robert Duncan Collection (Nebraska, US), Whitebalance (New Delhi), and Reliance Harmony (Mumbai).

Consistently addressing themes of dissent, displacement, and democratic resistance, Mansoor Ali’s artistic practice continues to contribute to contemporary discourse through sculpture, installation, and public intervention.