Sunil Puljhun

“My work deals with the sadness, the fear, the abuse and the violence that are undeniably a part of many people’s lives in this day and age.”

In his key artworks Sunil Puljhun focuses on the darker side of human nature, and subjects such as war, greed, man’s hunger for power, poverty and abuse are thus recurring themes. The threat to children is often at the center of these works. These themes are further enhanced by his color palette of mainly black and gray with some white or red details. In most of his works he combines various techniques including painting, drawing, collage, stenciling and digital art. He even sets some artworks partially and briefly on fire to achieve a dramatic charred effect.

Sunil Puljhun received his art education and his formal teachers training in Suriname and is a longtime teacher at the Nola Hatterman Art Academy in Paramaribo. Since 2015 he also serves as the academy’s coordinator.

Work Experiences

  • 2018: Participated in visitor’s program of Mondriaan Fonds, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
  • 2015 – Now: Coordinator at Nola Hatterman Art Academy, Paramaribo, Suriname
  • 2014: One-Month Residency at Glo’Art in Lanaken, Belgium
  • 2010 & 2011: Traveled to the Gerrit Rietveld Academy as Supervisor with two students for the occasion of the end presentation of final year students of the Gerrit Rietveld Academy
  • 2009: Three-month internship at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy, The Netherlands
  • 2000 – Now: Teacher at Nola Hatterman Art Academy, Suriname

Exhibitions

  • 2023 Solo “Sanskrti ka Sanrakshan”, Readytex Art Gallery, Paramaribo, Suriname
  • 2023 “Hakka Opera in Suriname”, Readytex Art Gallery, Paramaribo, Suriname
  • 2023 “Muddy Waters”, Readytex Art Gallery, Paramaribo, Suriname
  • 2023 “Beyond Bondage”, Readytex Art Gallery, Paramaribo, Suriname
  • 2023 ”Sarnami, Hai; Suriname, I am”, Readytex Art Gallery, Paramaribo, Suriname
  • 2023  Atlantic World Art Fair 2023
  • 2023 NO OCEAN BETWEEN US – The Surinamese collection, Readytex Art Gallery, Paramaribo, Suriname
  • 2023 CULTURAL CURRENTS: Miami meets Paramaribo, Readytex Art Gallery, Paramaribo, Suriname
  • 2023 Here and now. Are we in this together? Readytex Art Gallery, Paramaribo, Suriname
  • 2023 ECOLOGY – 30 years Readytex Art Gallery, Paramaribo, Suriname
  • 2023 ”OPO YARI” curated by Kurt Nahar, Readytex Art Gallery, Paramaribo, Suriname
  • 2022 WI ALAKONDRE, Readytex Art Gallery, Paramaribo, Suriname
  • 2022 UDUBAKI part 3, Readytex Art Gallery, Paramaribo, Suriname
  • 2021 LUNAR, Readytex Art Gallery, Paramaribo, Suriname
  • 2021 COVID: Collecting Our Voices in the Caribbean and its Diaspora, Virtual exhibition of MAC (Museums Association of the Caribbean)
  • 2021 NO OCEAN BETWEEN US: Art of Asian Diasporas in Latin America and the Caribbean, 1945 – Present, consecutively on display in USA at: San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, Texas, USA/ Art Museum of the Americas in Washington DC / Arthur Ross Gallery at the University of Pennsylvania / Middlebury College Museum of Art in Middlebury, Vermont
  • 2020 Cultural Encounters: Art of Asian diasporas in Latin America & the Caribbean, 1945 – Present, Kalamazoo Institute, Michigan, USA
  • 2020 IN THE FACE OF CHANGE exhibition, Readytex Art Gallery, Suriname
  • 2019 TNF “Special Art Gifts”, Readytex Art Gallery, Suriname
  • 2018 TNF by Puljhun ‘Nieuw werk en het experiment’, Readytex Art Gallery, Suriname
  • 2018 25th Anniversary exhibition of Readytex Art Gallery, Suriname
  • 2017 TNF of November “Frightly”, Readytex Art Gallery, Suriname
  • 2017 TNF of May “Open House”, Readytex Art Gallery, Suriname
  • 2015 TNF of December “Sunil Puljhun”, Readytex Art Gallery, Suriname
  • 2015 Opening exhibition new location Readytex Art Gallery, Suriname
  • 2014 Circus Terminal, international traveling exhibition, De Hal, Suriname
  • 2013 Cultural Currents, Miami meets Paramaribo, De Hal, Suriname
  • 2012 Heritage Festival, Fort Nw. Amsterdam, Commewijne, Suriname
  • 2011 Solo “The weight of darkness”, RAG in De Hal, Suriname
Artist works

Readytex Exhibitions