Hemant Rao

Hemant Rao (b. 1984, Madhya Pradesh) is a self-taught visual artist whose practice primarily explores dry pastel on canvas and paper. He began his artistic journey at the Graphic Studio, Bharat Bhawan, Bhopal, where he worked from 2005 to 2010. Rao has received significant recognitions, including the Junior Artist Fellowship in Visual Arts from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India (2011–12), and the 60th National Academy Award from Lalit Kala Akademi (2019). He has exhibited extensively in India and internationally, including at India Art Fair, Art Mumbai, Madras Art Weekend, Busan International Art Fair, Bangkok Triennale, and Art Revolution Taipei. Since 2023, he has been an Artist-in-Residence, and received the American Dream Fellowship at Art Omi, New York, in 2025. His works are held in public, institutional, and private collections.