Works By Raja GuhaThakurta
11/4/25-12/6/25
Opening Celebration: 11/6/2025, 5-7pm
Artist Talk: 12/4/2025, 5-6pm
Raja GuhaThakurta’s life has straddled art and the study of the cosmos for the last forty years. He is a Distinguished Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at UCSC, where he and his students conduct research in observational astrophysics. Those observation skills are present in his art, which he considers his first passion. GuhaThakurta sees many parallels between the two fields in his exploration of portraiture, such as the importance of background and the broader context, as well as a passionate attention to detail. In astronomical research, one usually has to peel away layers: by contrast, GuhaThakurta often adds layers to his portraits in order to get at their subjects’ complexity. The digital elements of astronomical images and digital cameras inspire the artist to incorporate in the portraits his own customized pixels crafted out of letters, numbers, symbols, and patterns.