Born in 1975 in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, Arvind Kolapkar explains music is his inspiration, particularly the folk and the classical music which plays an important role in his paintings. The bright and happy colours on the canvases, background painted in a single colour, the tanpura or the flute, the stylized figures with coloured forehead and noses, eyes often closed, are the most important elements seen in his paintings. An accent of music is created on the canvas where one can see and feel the rhythm in his paintings.

Arivind Kolapkar studied Art Teacher’s Diploma in 1993, and a General Diploma in art in 1999 followed by Diploma in Art Education in 2000, all from Abhinav Kala Mahavidyalaya, Pune. He was awarded the VV Oak Smruti Award, Nashik Kala Niketan Award, Nashik, and the South Central Zone Award, Nagpur. He has done several solo and group shows, his recent solo works were shown at Dubai Art Gallery, Dubai, 2011; Alankritha Art Gallery, Hyderabad, 2009, and Atelier Art Gallery, Mumbai, 2008. His group shows include ‘Transcending Borders’ at Dhaka, Bangladesh; Singapore Art Festival, Singapore; Nehru Centre, Mumbai; and Heritage Art Gallery, Ahmedabad, to name a few.