Piraji Sagara was a deeply distinct voice in post- Independence Indian art, known for his multifaceted approach to material and form. Born in 1931 in Ahmedabad and trained at the J J School of Art in Bombay, Sagara belonged to the Sagara community of Rajasthan-an identity that subtly informed his lifelong engagement with craft traditions, folk iconography, and tactile processes. He is best known for his “wood collages”, a term that only begins... Piraji Sagara was a deeply distinct voice in post- Independence Indian art, known for his multifaceted approach to material and form. Born in 1931 in Ahmedabad and trained at the J J School of Art in Bombay, Sagara belonged to the Sagara community of Rajasthan-an identity that subtly informed his lifelong engagement with craft traditions, folk iconography, and tactile processes. He is best known for his “wood collages”, a term that only begins to capture the complexity of his practice. Working with burnt and carved wood, and various other materials like watercolour paint, glass beads, even pastels and metal, Sagara developed a visual language that was both rooted and experimental. His works often resist easy categorisation: they read as both painting and sculpture, both symbolic and abstract.

As Subhash Shah has observed, “Initially, his personal style of drawing was built up from his own subjective view of the world around him. But later, rather than adopting a specific style or technique, he was more concerned with allowing the work to assume its own natural form. Curious relationship of man with nature, with birds and animals, inherent contradictions in human existence, chaos and turmoil of the world we live in and above all, the profound mystery of nature are some prime…concerns of Piraji’s world of thought and imagery.” (Subhash Shah, Piraji Sagara: Contemporary Indian Art Series, New Delhi: Lalit Kala Akademi, 1995) The forms Sagara created- whether in the intricate arrangements of his wall panels or the bold contours of his wood sculptures-reflect a continued interest in rhythm, texture, and the poetics of spaces and surfaces.

Sagara exhibited widely, both in India and internationally, and was invited by architect B V Doshi in 1963 to join the founding faculty of the School of Architecture in Ahmedabad, where he remained a vital influence for decades. He also received the Lalit Kala Akademi’s national award the same year. Part of a generation of pioneering Indian modernists, Sagara’s work remains singular in its quiet strength-marked by a deep respect for material and a profound understanding of its collaborative potential and cultural resonance.

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