Sanjay Vora

Formed from Indian heritage, an American identity, and spiritualized visions of personal story and memory, Vora's paintings become visual experiences as a result of a repetitive excavatory process, seeking meaning, truth and reconciliation with time and our impermanence.

Born in New Jersey into a musical Indian family, he began playing instruments around the house, learning by ear and watching his parents perform at concerts. His urge to compose music early in life paralleled his desire to create visual environments. Producing drawings and paintings was a way to manifest and inhabit his visions to which music had played as an ongoing soundtrack. Both Vora's music and art have been strongly influenced by his bicultural upbringing as well as the surrounding rural American landscapes of his childhood.

His paintings have been presented in numerous national and international exhibitions including, In Flux, at the Museum of Northern California Art, Personal Structures, in Venice, Italy in conjunction with the 2019 Venice Biennale, and the upcoming, Mythical Creatures, at the USC Pacific Asia Museum. He is a recipient of a Sustainable Arts Foundation Grant, and was awarded the Herz Recreation Center Public Art Project through the San Francisco Arts Commission which will be unveiled in late 2025. He has been commissioned by Facebook’s Artist in Residence Program as well as Square, Inc. for large-scale public installations, and his paintings are in many collections including the public collections of Kaiser Permanente, the Rainin Foundation, and Alta Bates Hospital. Vora has degrees in both Architecture and Painting, has lectured at the University of California Department of Art Practice, and currently teaches visual arts in conjunction with his studio practice. He is represented by Maybaum Gallery in San Francisco, California as well as Amelie Du Chalard in New York and Paris.

Education

MFA in Painting, San Francisco Art Institute 2005

BS in Architecture, University of Virginia 2002

Solo Exhibitions

2024 The Visiting, Maybaum Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2023 Be/Coming, Maybaum Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2022 Path to Paradise, Seager Gray Gallery, Mill Valley, CA

2018 Together and Apart, Vessel Gallery, Oakland, CA

2015 Lost Love, Vessel Gallery, Oakland, CA

2014 Memories of Dreams, Gallery Bergelli, Larkspur CA

2013 Re/Surfaces, Vessel Gallery, Oakland, CA

2010 Rhythmic Sequences, Vessel Gallery, Oakland, CA

Recurring Vision, Gallery Bergelli, Larkspur, CA

2008 Imprint, Vessel, Berkeley, CA

Reflection, Gallery Bergelli, Larkspur, CA

2006 House|Home, Gallery Bergelli, Larkspur, CA

The Surrounding Landscape, Gallery Bergelli, Larkspur, CA

2005 Love, Memory and Nostalgia, Gallery Bergelli, Larkspur, CA

2004 Three Paintings, Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco

Field, Memory, and In Between, Mudhouse, Charlottesville, VA

2003 Love and a Video Store, Sneak Reviews, Charlottesville

Mindscape Paintings and Drawings, Gallery Neo, Charlottesville

2001 The Ghost in the Garden, Newcomb Hall Gallery, Charlottesville

Selected Group Exhibitions

2025 Fu@k Off, Walter Maciel Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

2024 In Flux, Museum of Northern California Art, Chico, CA

Passages, Oakland Asian Cultural Center, Oakland, CA

Material Matters, Seager Gray Gallery, Mill Valley, CA

2020 Carried Places,, Harrington Gallery, Pleasanton, CA

2019 Personal Structures, Palazzo Mora, Venice, Italy

Stillness Within, Arkitektura Assembly, San Francisco, CA

Material Matters, Seager Gray Gallery, Mill Valley, CA

2018 Material Matters, Seager Gray Gallery, Mill Valley, CA

2017 Excuse Me, Can I See Your ID? Vessel Gallery, Oakland, CA

Powder and Smoke, Seager Gray Gallery, Mill Valley, CA

Motive, Vessel Gallery, Oakland, CA

2015 Notions of Romance, Vessel Gallery, Oakland

2014 Material and Meditation, Vessel Gallery, Oakland

Shades of Summer, Vessel Gallery, Oakland

2013 Vessel as the Human Form, Vessel Gallery, Oakland

Landscapes: Near and Afar, Vessel Gallery, Oakland

2012 Horizons of Promise, Vessel Gallery, Oakland, CA

Vessel 8: Charting the Waters, Vessel Gallery, Oakland, CA

Faculty Show, Department of Art Practice, Worth Ryder Gallery, UC Berkeley

2011 Portraits, Vessel Gallery, Oakland, CA

Fall Faculty Show, Worth Ryder Gallery, University of California at Berkeley

Winter Group Show, Gallery Bergelli, Larkspur, CA

2010 San Francisco International Art Fair, Herbst Pavilion, SF, CA

2007 Square Foot Show, Art Gotham Gallery, New York, NY

Home, Root Division, San Francisco

2006 Choice Art, The Garage, San Francisco

Artwallah, Bamboo Lane Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

Artwallah, South Asian Arts Festival, Los Angeles, CA

Arts On Fire X, Sanchez Art Center, Pacifica, CA

2005 2nd Biennial International Juried Exhibition, the Presidio, San Francisco

New California Masters, Works San Jose, San Jose, CA

Prevue, Starpin Gallery, Shelton, CT

SFAI MFA Exhibition, Herbst Pavilion, Fort Mason, San Francisco

Haunted, Crucible Steel Gallery, San Francisco

2004 2a Biennale Internazionale d’ Arte di Ferrara, Castello Estense, Ferrara, Italy

Ad-Hoc, Crucible Steel Gallery, San Francisco

Bay Area Emerging Artist Exhibition, 710 Market St., San Francisco

Bay Area Eight, Artist Television Access, San Francisco

Professional Experience

Visual Arts Teacher, Fall 2005 – Present, St. Paul’s Episcopal School, Oakland, CA

VIsual Arts and Design teacher in the 3rd through 8th grade curriculum-based school day program. Students build upon a foundation of fundamentals and history to explore more personal and community oriented projects.

Visiting Lecturer in Painting, Fall 2011 + Fall 2012, University of California at Berkeley, Department of Art Practice.

Taught two Advanced Painting Studio courses to Upper Level Undergraduate students.

Master Artist, Summer 2010, Public Works
 Commissioned by Roundtree Visuals and Kaiser

Permanente to design and implement two 6’ x 14’ murals in two Trauma Center quiet rooms. It was also a collaboration with Art Start of Santa Rosa in which I was given two college level artists to work under me as apprentices.

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Spring 2005, San Francisco Art Institute, CA

Facilitated critiques and reviews, and gave multiple one on one tutorials to undergraduate students in an Advanced Painting Studio. Faculty: John Zurier 

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Fall 2004, San Francisco Art Institute, CA

Facilitated critiques and reviews, and gave multiple one on one tutorials to undergraduate students in a studio-based Interdisciplinary class focused on the idea of Self-Portrait through the media of collage, container, installation, and sound. Faculty: Carlos Villa

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Fall 2004, San Francisco Art Institute, CA

Facilitated critiques and reviews, and gave multiple one on one tutorials to undergraduate

students in a studio-based Interdisciplinary class focused on the idea of Self-Portrait through the media of collage, container, installation, and sound. Faculty: Carlos Villa

Bibliography

Cassidy, Jason, Chico News and Review, Flux Capacity, April 15th, 2024

Canvas Rebel Magazine, https://canvasrebel.com/meet-sanjay-vora/, Summer 2023

Morris, Barbara. “Critic's picks: San Francisco”, Art Ltd. Magazine, February 2017

Frank, Priscilla, “Dismantling Stereotypes About Asian-American Identity Through Art”, Huffington Post, April 2017.

Burke, Sarah. “An Expanded Approach to Asian Americaness at Vessel Gallery.” KQED.org. April 13th, 2017.

Nelson, Lauren. “What Lies Beneath: Uncovering Artwork, One Layer At A Time.” SF Chronicle, Sunday March 30th, 2014

Burke, Sarah. “Notions of Romance.” East Bay Express, January, 2015.

Art Pick, “Lost Love.” East Bay Express, December 15th, 2015.

Bigman, Alex. “Landscapes: Near and Afar.” East Bay Express, May 2013.

Morris, Barabara.“Portraits.” Art Limited Magazine, September/October 2011

Cheng, DeWitt.“Face Time at Vessel Gallery.” East Bay Express, July 2011

Cheng, DeWitt.“Rhythmic Sequences.” Picks, East Bay Express, December 2010

Ray, Anne Crump. “Fall Gallery Preview.” Marin Magazine, September 2006, pp.145-6.

2a Biennale Internazionale d’ Arte di Ferrara, exhibition catalogue, Associazone Culturale Ferrara Pro Art, Ferrara, Italy, December 2004, pp.34 –35.

Parsons, Luara. “Abstract Memories: Vora Scratches the Surface.” The Hook, August 19th, 2004, art feature.

Smith, Emily. “Love and a Video Store.” The C-Ville Weekly, July 8th, 2003, art feature, p. 33.

Smith, Emily. “Taking Inventory.” The C-Ville Weekly, March 18th, 2003, p36.

Awards and Residencies

Selected Artist, Hertz Recreation Center Public Art project, San Francisco Arts Commission, 2022

Facebook Artist in Residence, Fremont, CA 2019/2020

Sustainable Arts Foundation Grant, 2019

Best In Show, 2nd Biennial International Juried Exhibition, 2005, Juror: Marian Parmenter

Merit Scholarship, San Francisco Art Institute, 2004 – 2005

Graduate Teaching Assistantships, San Francisco Art Institute, Spring 2005 and Fall 2004

San Francisco Art Institute Grant, San Francisco Art Institute, 2003 - 2005

Public Collections

Square Oakland, Meta, Kaiser Permanente, Rainin Foundation, Alta Bates Hospital (2025)