Tushar Joag (1966-2018) was born in Mumbai, India. He completed his BFA in 1988 at Sir JJ. School of Art, Mumbai and Masters in 1990 at M.S. University, Baroda. After spending two years at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam, Netherlands, he returned to Mumbai and co-founded the artists’ initiative Open Circle in 2000. He was involved in organizing and coordinating activities in Mumbai and for the World Social Forum in Brazil and Kenya. He participated in a number of national and international exhibitions. He had been a visiting faculty member and had delivered numerous talks and seminars in India and internationally. He was a jury member for various awards and academic examinations. He was a part of numerous exhibitions at the national and international level, including ‘Chalo! India: A New Era of Indian Art,’ National Gallery of Contemporary Art, Korea, curated by Akiko Miki; ‘The Empire Strikes Back: Indian Art Today,’ The Saatchi Gallery, London; and ‘Cultural Hijack,’ Architecture Association, London, curated by Benjamin Parry and Peter McCaughey. He was the Assistant Professor in the Department of Art and Performing Art at the Shiv Nadar University, where he helped establish the department. He was the Advisor of Art1st Foundation and a mentor for its various art education programs.
Artwork: Tushar Joag, Realty Bite, 2005. Digital collage, pigment print. Courtesy: Sharmila Samant.