Khageswar Rout was born (1992) in an agrarian family in rural Odisha and completed his graduation and post-graduation from the Department of Sculpture, Faculty of Visual Arts, Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata (2014, 2016). The artist's interest in botanical specimens lead him to draw his sculptures from the logic of vegetal forms. His conscious use of a fundamental material like clay translates to complex and sophisticated ceramics, (or at times, in metal) which become insights not only into organic growth patterns, but also realisations of architectonic forms.
Khageswar contemplates a practice based on an idea of reconciliation between realised formal logic and intuitions. Interplay of logic and instinct forms the basis of his design, which exerts itself both in terms of its physical and conceptual presence. He gravitates towards an exploration of material with a slow and careful handing, a method intrinsic to natural forms. Through highly sensitive, tactile, and self-reflexive portrayals of the natural world, Khageswar explores larger questions surrounding perceptions of order.
He attended various residencies focussing on explorations of material and has been a Lalit Kala Akademi scholar in 2018. Khageswar has also been recognised as a promising young sculptor through awards by significant platforms of arts. He has had solo exhibitions at Galerie 88, Kolkata, and at Project 88, Mumbai. The artist participates regularly in art fairs, notably including India Art Fair (2019, 2023, 2024) and Frieze London (2018). Presently, he is a guest faculty at the Department of Sculpture, Faculty of Visual Arts, Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata.
The artist lives and works in Kolkata.