(b.1969, Orissa) Alok Bal earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts and Post Graduate Diploma in Painting from M.S. University, Vadodara. In 1998, Bal was awarded a Government National Scholarship from the Ministry of Human Resource Development in New Delhi. In his work, Bal examines human existence in urban spaces. His work expresses this fascination and disillusionment with life in a metropolis and simultaneously raises questions about the materialistic world, the human desire to control nature and the artist’s interpretation of human life in the urban context. Selected exhibitions include ‘Irreverent Gene’ at Crimson Art Gallery, Bangalore (2010); ‘Nature vs. Modernity’ at India Fine Art, Mumbai (2009); ‘Live Wires’ at Visual Arts Centre, Hong Kong (2008); and ‘A Slice of Art from India’ at RL Fine Arts, New York. His solo exhibitions include ‘Black Landscape’ at Anant Art Gallery, New Delhi (2007); ‘Black Landscape’ at Priyasri Art Gallery, Mumbai (2007); and ‘Football Fever’ at Priyasri Art Gallery, Mumbai (2006).