Singh was born in the temple town of Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu in India and later immigrated to the United States. His formative years were influenced by the twin heritages of his hometown, which houses both Christian cathedrals and the Hindu Nellaiappar Temple. Singh went on to graduate from Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai, where he had begun to show his work in state-level exhibitions. Singh received his MFA in Visual Art from the Lesley University College of Art and Design, where he studied photography and video art under Julia Scher and Judith Barry.
Singh’s primary visual influences were initially based on Dravidian temple art and its mythological capacity for figuration. Singh was chosen to represent India in 1998 at the International Artists Camp held in Sri Lanka. The following year, Singh received the Charles Wallace Grant and traveled to England, where his work saw him drawing on metaphysical themes of redemptive resurrection and transcendentalism.
Museum für Asiatische Kunst in Berlin, Germany acquired twelve of Singh’s paintings and sculptures for its permanent collection, as did the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi, India, which collected three of his paintings. Singh was awarded the Artist’s Fulbright Fellowship as part of the Fulbright Program and studied the cathartic symbolism of religious iconography in the context of the east-west subaltern dialogue. Singh has continued to exhibit his figurative works in venues like Barcelona, Budapest, Munich, New York and Mumbai with self-portrait photography, canvases, and sequined fiberglass sculptures.
Exhibitions
Selected Solo Exhibitions
‘Horseplay’ – Rosebud Contemporary, New York – 2023
‘Holy Smoke and Other Works’ – RL Fine Arts, New York – 2010
‘Thus Spake Zarathustra’ – drawings and sculptures – Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai – 2008
‘Ebenezer-A Decade-Works 1997 – 2007’– Galerie Muller & Plate, Munich – 2007
‘Sharing the Planet’- oil paintings and bronze sculptures – Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai – 2007
‘Ebenezer – Recent Works’ – acrylic paintings and fiberglass sculptures – Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai – 2005
‘Senses’ – acrylic paintings, charcoal drawings, and wood carvings – Gallery Bellevue, Kunst und Kultur at Tiergarten, Berlin – 2003
‘Balloon Man’ – The Easel Art Gallery, Chennai – 2000
‘White Nights’ – acrylic paintings and fiberglass sculptures – Palette Art Gallery, New Delhi – 2006
‘Neti…Neti’ – Kingston University, Surrey, UK – 1999
‘Kayittraravu’ – The Easel Art Gallery, Chennai – 1998
‘The Hollow Men the Stuffed Men’ – The Easel Art Gallery, Chennai – 1996
Selected Group Exhibitions
‘Remembrance of Things Past’ – Graham Gillmore, Stan Narten, Ebenezer Singh – Rosebud Contemporary, New York – 2023
‘Sojourner’ – Curated by Kyoko Sato – Sojourner Gallery, New York – 2023
‘The Masks We Wear’ – ‘B’ Dry Goods, Brooklyn, New York – 2022-23
‘Good Trouble’ – Whitebox, New York – 2020
‘Space, Body, Land & Senses’ – Rosebud Contemporary & Art World, Sarala’s Art Center, Chennai – 2018
‘Little Infinity’ – Art and Aesthetic Gallery, New Delhi – 2017
‘When Marco Polo Saw Elephants’ – Art and Aesthetic Gallery, New Delhi – 2015
‘When Marco Polo Saw Elephants’ – Three person show with Jason Wallengren and Kathryn Myers – Five Points Gallery, Torrington, CT – 2014
‘The Myth of the Given’ – Three men show with Graham Gillmore and Jason Wallengren, Ashok Jain Gallery, NY – 2013
‘Radiate’ – Curated by Kathryn Myers – 1st venue: -Windsor Art Center – CT, 2nd venue: – Gallery 400, University of Illinois at Chicago, IL – 2012
‘Terminal ‘Short Video Festival – Austin Peay State University, Tennessee – 2011
‘End to End’ – Harvestworks Digital Media Arts Centre, New York – 2011
‘My-self’ – A Survey of Contemporary Self-Portraiture – Curated by Marjorie Vecchio – Sheppard Fine Arts Gallery, Reno, Nevada – 2011
‘No Balding nor Tangling the Hair’ – The Faraway Tree Gallery, Chennai – 2011
Video India – Videospace, Budapest, Hungary – 2010
‘Marvelous Reality ‘– Curated by Sunil Mehra and Gallery Espace, New Delhi – 2009
The Art of India – 20 years of Contemporary Indian Art, Indien-Institut, Munich, Curated by Galerie Muller & Plate, Munich, Germany – 2009
‘Self and the Other – Portraiture in Contemporary Indian Photography’ – Curated by Devika Daulet-Singh & Luisa Ortinez – Venue – 1. La Virreina Centre De la Imatge Palau de la Virreina, Barcelona, Spain. Venue – 2. ARTIUM –Centro-Museo Vascode Arte Contemporanea, Vitoria, Gasteiz, Spain – 2009 (July) to 2010 (February)
Art Paris – Pundole Art Gallery, Abu Dhabi, UAE – 2008
Sotheby’s Contemporary Indian Art, New York – 2007
Artcurial I Briest – Poulain – F. Tajan, Paris – 2007
Sotheby’s Contemporary Indian Art, New York – 2006
‘Hybrid Trend – Contemporary Art, India & Korea, Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul, Korea – 2006
‘Recent Museum Acquisitions’, National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi – 2006
‘Human Figure’ – Curated by Marta Jakimowicz Karle – Gallery Threshold, New Delhi – 2006
‘Are we like this only’ – Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi – 2005
‘Inspirationen’-Three Artists Exhibition – Curated by Andreas Weigelt – Museum fur Asiatic Kunst, Berlin – 2001(Sep) to 2002(Feb)
‘Navarasa’ – India Habitat Centre, New Delhi – 2002
‘Heads and Tails’ – The Easel Art Gallery, Chennai – 2000
‘Contemporary Indian Art’ – Air Gallery, London, UK – 1999
‘Creative Process’ – The Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai – 1998
‘Chennai Four’ – Art Today Gallery, New Delhi – 1997
‘The Young Contemporaries’ – Lakeeren Gallery, Mumbai – 1995
Publications
Solo
‘Thus Spake Zarathustra’, catalogue essay – Roobina Karode – Thus Spake Zarathustra, Publisher: Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai, India – 2008
‘Ebenezer A Decade’, catalogue essay – Raffael Dedo Gadebusch – Individuell universell, Die Malerei Ebenezers – Publisher: Galerie Muller & Plate, Munich, Germany – 2007
‘Sharing the Planet’, catalogue essay – Ebenezer Singh – Sharing the Planet, Publisher: Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai, India – 2007
‘White Nights’ catalogue essay – Meera Menezes – White Nights, Publisher: Palette Art Gallery, New Delhi, India – 2006
‘Blind Man’s Profession’, catalogue essay – Nancy Adajania – The Body is an Unfinished Room, Anant Art Gallery, New Delhi, India – 2005
‘Ebenezer – Recent Works’, catalogue essay – Ebenezer Singh – ‘Painted Books and Sculptures’, Publisher: ’Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai, India – 2001
‘The Hollow Men the Stuffed Men’, catalogue essay – Johny M L – The Hollow Men the Stuffed Men, Publisher: The Easel Art Gallery, Chennai, India – 1996
Group
‘When Marco Polo Saw Elephants’ – catalogue essay – Johnes Ruta – A Post-Colonial Elephant Diary – Publisher: Five Points Gallery, Torrington, CT, USA – 2014
‘Radiate – Art of the South Asian Diaspora’, catalogue essay – Kathryn Myers – Radiate, Publisher: University of Connecticut, CT, USA – 2012
‘Self and the Other, Portraiture in Contemporary Indian Photography’ – catalogue essay – Deepak Ananth – Self etcetera, Publisher: Ajuntament de Barcelona, Lunwerg Editores, Artium, Barcelona, Spain – 2009
‘Marvelous Reality ‘, catalogue essay – Sunil Mehra – Marvelous Reality, Publisher: Gallery Espace, New Delhi, India – 2009
‘The Art of India – 20 years of Contemporary Indian Art’, catalogue essay – Peter and Erika Muller – The Art of India – 20 years of Contemporary Indian Art, Publisher: Galerie Muller & Plate, Munich, Germany – 2009
‘The Human Figure’, catalogue essay – Marta Jakimowicz – The Human Figure, the figure of metaphor, Publisher: Threshold Art Gallery, New Delhi, India – 2006
‘Hybrid Trend, Contemporary Art Exhibition, India & Korea’, catalogue essay – Jai Krishna Agarwal – Indian Contemporary Art and the Young Indian Artists, Publisher: Seoul Arts Center, Seoul, Korea – 2006
‘Are We Like This Only’, catalogue essay – Vidhya Shivadas – Are We Like This Only, Publisher: Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi, India – 2005
Institutional Collections
National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, India
Museum Fur Asiatic Kunst, Berlin, Germany
Selected Press
M T Saju, ‘A Southern Sojourn through Canvases’, The Times of India – 2018
M.D. Muthukumaraswamy, ‘Ebenezer Sunder Singh: Watercolors’, Sahapedia – 2016
Susan Dunne – ‘Four Explore Different Cultures’ – Hartford Courant – August 2014
Valerie Gladstone – ‘The Myth of the Given’ – ARTnews– June 2013
Gallery400.uic.edu – Radiate: Art of the South Asian Diaspora – 2012
Susanna Groves – Windsor Art Center – diasporaalliance.org – May 25, 2012
Susan Dunne – ‘Radiate: Art of the South Asian Diaspora – courant.com – May 11, 2012
Judith Argila – L’India es Retrata – A Viva Veu – September 20, 2009
Corinne Bernard – Portraits de L’Inde Contemporaine – Vivre a Barcelone – September 24, 2009
Maria Palau – Moltes Indies – EL PUNT.CAT – July 26, 2009
Nancy Adajania – Creating his own Muse – The Hindu – May 01, 2005
Von Michael Nungesser – Postmoderne im Madras-stil – Die Tageszeitung – October 19, 2001
Raffael Dedo Gadebusch – Inspirations – German News – Vol. XLII – November 2001
Anita Staud – Minni & Mickey – Tip Magazin – February 2002
Oliver Heilwagen – Jenseits von Bollywood – Der Tagesspiegel – December 15, 2001
Von Jack Rodriguez – Inspiration und Tradition – Neues Deutschland – September 27, 2001