Artist, activist, architect K.T. Shivaprasad passes away in Bengaluru

K.T. Shivaprasad, an internationally acclaimed artist, social activist, photographer, and architect, passed away on Tuesday (June 30, 2026). He was 78.

Mr. Shivaprasad, a resident of Hassan, recently underwent surgery for a kidney infection and recovered. However, as he developed a breathing problem on Saturday (June 27), he was admitted to a hospital in Bengaluru. He breathed his last around 10 a.m. on June 30, according to family sources. He is survived by his wife, Suvarna.

Born on July 5, 1947, Mr. Shivaprasad was drawn to painting during his student days at Ramakrishna Ashrama in Mysuru. He enrolled to pursue a B.E. degree at Malnad College of Engineering in Hassan, but abandoned engineering to study at the Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai.

K.T. Shivaprasad launches Navilu, a monthly magazine, in Hassan. Writer Banu Mushtaq and editor of the monthly V.R. Carpenter are also seen.
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu

Upon returning to Hassan, Mr. Shivaprasad spent considerable time at his father’s farmhouse on the city’s outskirts, where he painted extensively. He gradually began engaging with farm workers and villagers — interactions that would profoundly influence his artistic direction.

Majorly influenced by writer Poornachandra Tejaswi and M.D. Nanjundaswamy, founder of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS), Mr. Shivaprasad gradually transformed into a farmers’ activist. He subsequently travelled extensively with the KRRS, deepening his understanding of agricultural crises, land dispossession, and the rights of cultivators.

Architectural legacy

During his involvement with the farmers’ movement, Mr. Shivaprasad pursued architecture and photography parallelly. Many of the widely circulated photographs documenting the farmers’ movement and rural struggles were captured by Mr. Shivaprasad, establishing him as both a visual chronicler and participant in these campaigns.

Artist K.T. Shivaprasad, with writers Roopa Hassan and Banu Mushtaq. File photo
| Photo Credit:
PRAKASH HASSAN

His architectural practice began when Tejaswi commissioning him to design a residence. Among Mr. Shivaprasad’s most celebrated architectural works is Kavishaila, a memorial to Kannada poet and cultural figure Kuvempu at Kuppali in Tirthahalli taluk. In conception and execution, Kavishaila embodies the philosophy of Aniketana (an unfettered, free spirit), the essence of Kuvempu’s literary and spiritual legacy.

According to artist Babu Eshwar Prasad, a long time associate of Mr. Shivaprasad, he was a skillful artist ahead of his time. “After graduating from the Sir J.J. School of Art, Mr. Shivaprasad initially pursued experimental abstraction. As he engaged more deeply with rural communities and farmworkers, his approach shifted towards figurative realism, depicting the lives and faces of people in his immediate surroundings,” he said.

Away from gallery networks

In the initial years, paintings of rural subjects earned him widespread recognition, and his works were exhibited in major galleries and acquired by collectors at substantial prices. “Gradually, he distanced himself from the gallery network. For a few years, he devoted his complete time to the Raitha Sangha,” said Mr. Eshwar Prasad.

In his later years, Mr. Shivaprasad developed a deep engagement with Buddhist philosophy and aesthetics.

K.T. Shivaprasad at an art exhibition in Hassan on March 26, 2008 organised by Karnataka Lalitha Kala Academy.
| Photo Credit:
SHAMASUNDER

For Dalit rights

Despite working with KRRS and Dalit Sangharsha Samiti for several years, he gradually distanced himself from the former and chose to identify himself with the latter. DSS (Ambedkarwada) founder Mavalli Shankar said, “He stood like a pillar for the organisation. Despite his background in a wealthy industrialist family, Mr. Shivaprasad was an unwavering advocate for Dalit rights and social justice.”

Another organiaation he was associated with was Odanadi Seva Trust in Mysuru, a non-government organiaation working for the rehabilitation of victims of human trafficking.

His family sources said that his mortal remains will be kept in the Kannada Sahitya Parishat premises in Hassan between 10 a.m and 1 p.m on Wednesday (July 1) for people to pay their last respects. The final rites will be held in the city later in the day.