Samanta Batra Mehta was born in New Delhi, India, in 1975. She was raised in Bombay and moved to New York in 2003. Her work spans various media including traditional egg-tempera, ink on paper, photography, collage and installation. Samanta holds undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in Economics and Information Systems from the Bombay University and the London School of Economics. She has attended classes in the Aesthetics of Indian Visual Art at the Bombay University, in Drawing and Painting at Central St. Martins, London and has studied traditional Byzantine Icon Painting at the Prosopon School of Iconology, New York. She served on the Board of the South Asian Women’s’ Creative Collective (SAWCC), New York, from 2006-2007, an organization dedicated to the advancement and development of South Asian Women artists. While on the Board at SAWCC, Samanta co-curated and produced- ‘In a State of Emergency: Women, War & the Politics of Urban  Survival’, a group show in New York in 2006.  Her artwork has been exhibited in India and the US and is due to be featured in a book on art materials and techniques to be published in 2008. Samanta currently lives in New York with her husband.

Education:
2003 - 2006 PROSOPON SCHOOL OF ICONOLOGY New York, NY
Traditional Byzantine Icon Painting (in egg tempera)
2000 - 2001 UNIVERITY OF BOMBAY Bombay, India
Post Graduate Diploma- Aesthetics of Indian Visual Art
1997 & 1998 CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN London, UK
Summer Studio Intensives Certificate
Life Drawing, Painting
1997 - 1998 LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS & POLITICAL SCIENCE (LSE) London, UK
Master of Science - Analysis, Design & Management of Information Systems
Graduated with a First Class and top 10% of the class
1996 - 1997 Post Graduate Diploma in International Relations (World Politics)
Graduated with a First Class; top 10% of the graduating class
1993 - 1996 ST. XAVIER'S COLLEGE Bombay, India
Bachelor of Arts (Economics)
Graduated with a First Class and Distinction; top 3% of the graduating class
Awarded the Indian Governments' National Merit Scholarship in 1993 and 1995

Workshops:
March 2004 Photo-transfers with Miriam Schaer, The Lower Eastside Printshop New York, NY
April 2004 Manuscript Illumination & Gilding with Patricia Miranda, The Society of Gilders Port Chester, NY
May 2005 Tempera- Technique & Theory with Ophrah Shemesh, Kremer Pigments New York, NY
Spring 2005 'Meeting Artists Needs', Cue Art Foundation New York, NY
Summer 2005 Stone Sculpture with Barbara Segal, School of Visual Arts New York, NY
March 2006 Casein Painting with Margaret Krug New York, NY
Summer 2006 Solarplate etching with Jason Watson, The Lower Eastside Printshop New York, NY
October 2006 Advanced Egg Tempera Techniques with Patricia Miranda, The Society of Gilders New York, NY

Exhibitions:
December 2002 Kala Ghoda Annual Arts Festival Group Show at the Jehangir Art Gallery Bombay, India
February 2003 Hacienda Gallery Bombay, India
February 2006 Silent Auction, South Asian Women's Leadership Forum Congress New York, NY
September 2006 Silent Auction, Your Dil Foundation New York, NY
October 2006 '(Ad)dress' Group Show with the Gaia Art Collective curated by Doris Cacoilo Hoboken, NJ
November 2006 Co-curated & produced- 'In a State of Emergency: Women, War & the Politics of Urban New York, NY
Survival'; a group show featuring nine artists working in 'new' visual media
June 2007 'Wish you were here' Group how at A.I.R Art Gallery New York, NY
August 2007 'The Insider', 7 person show, Bodhi Art Gallery Bombay, India
2008 Bodhi Art Gallery (upcoming) New Delhi, India

Invitations:
Spring 2006 Invited to present work to members of the South Asian Women's Creative Collective New York, NY
Summer 2006 Invited to advanced drawing & painting sessions with artist / author Margaret Krug; works from New York, NY
these sessions to be featured in Ms Krug forthcoming book on art techniques in September 2007

Affiliations: SOUTH ASIAN WOMEN'S CREATIVE COLLECTIVE (SAWCC)
Board Member 2006 - 2007

Publications: Times of India, 1996; Inside Outside Magazine, 2000; Book by Margaret Krug, October 2007 (forthcoming)