Adwaita Charan Gadanayak

Adwaita Charan Gadanayak is a sculptor whose work draws on India’s classical traditions while speaking in a modern, often abstract language. In 2025 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of art, from Odisha ^[1].

An Odia sculptor

Gadanayak was born on 24 April 1963 in Odisha and grew up surrounded by the state’s long tradition of temple sculpture ^[2]. He trained in fine arts and sculpture in India and abroad, and later headed the visual arts department at KIIT University in Bhubaneswar ^[2].

Major works

His best-known work is the National Police Memorial in New Delhi, an abstract sculpture exploring ideas of the eternal and the cosmic ^[2]. He has also created a sculpture park for the Piramal Group in Mumbai and a sculpture in Daisen Park in Sakai, Japan ^[2].

At the National Gallery of Modern Art

From 2016 to 2022, Gadanayak was director general of the National Gallery of Modern Art ^[2]. During his tenure the gallery renovated Jaipur House, its historic headquarters in New Delhi. It also ran the e-auction of mementos presented to the Prime Minister, and organised exhibitions with museums in many countries ^[2]. In 2019 he was commissioner of the India Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, which marked the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi ^[2].