It was a pleasant surprise to hear from Natasha, more so, to have her stay with us overnight, here in ‘Aseem Cottage’. Yes, it was 30th Oct 2018. Kirti, my wife was delighted.
I have nostalgia for being with her on the ‘Nano rides’ over Shimla. The interaction was interesting; I got to know the Manchester-born Natasha Kumar. The British Indian artist was caught young at seventeen to exhibit at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. To her joy, she saw her etchings hung on the same wall as paintings by her grandfather and uncle.
Kumar began with a local art foundation. A first-class degree in printmaking at Manchester followed, where her love of multiples and repetition flourished. Kumar divides her time between thinking space at the farmhouse with dedicated painting and printmaking studios; and intense studio practice in London.
- On her mother’s English side, she comes from a line of established figurative painters. “Pattern is in my DNA, I grew up surrounded by wallpaper and fabrics by my great uncle, George Todd, a rather colourful character and terrific designer. I never got to meet him but he was an inspiration.”
Art and India are in Kumar’s genes. She draws inspiration from the rich cultural heritage of her Indian side. Her father’s Indian heritage she traces back to Kashmir and maybe Afghanistan; as the stories of partition and lost family gold are told.
She makes working trips to India to gather images and ideas. “It’s always an excuse to catch up with family – I miss those chapatis and the chatter – I just love it all, I absorb it like a sponge. When I get back to the studios I am bursting with new ideas. I love sharing that feeling through my work and when I meet people”
“The essence of my art, figurative or abstract, is colour. I use it to express my emotions, to evoke emotions in the observer, to summon memories.”
Colour is an essential part of Indian existence: Kumar loves to use bold and compelling colours in her work to evoke mood and feeling.
- Natasha Kumar’s ‘Utsava’ collection is a celebration of family and belonging. It combines ancient Indian aesthetics and identity through figurative representation and abstract sensibility.
Her version of the classic K2 kiosk was inspired by rangoli, the Indian folk art in which colourful geometric patterns are painted on floors to welcome guests and bring good fortune.
The creations are both traditional and contemporary. The spectrum is typical of Kumar’s style; a layering of different techniques: drawing, etching and screen-printing.
- Natasha knows quite a few techniques like oil painting, watercolour, pastel, monotype, woodcut, etching, screen-print and lithograph.
She studied printmaking and anatomy at the Venice Accademia and completed her MA in printmaking in Camberwell in London in 2000, winning the London Printmaking Prize the same year. She established her print workshop in Camberwell.
With exhibitions, events and art fairs worldwide; she also pops up in less traditional art venues such as Heathrow VIP Lounge, Science Museum, The Institute of Neurology, The Taj Hotel, and the familiar, Asia House, Southbank and Saatchi.
A passion and practice firmly established her as a favourite artist amongst her followers. Kumar has a growing following of collectors worldwide.
Telling the story is so important and gives depth, so you may often find her chatting on the stands at fairs and exhibitions.
Her work is a dazzling exploration of colour and line as seen through the prism of contemporary Indian life.
Natasha contributes to charities.
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Prof. (Er.) Chander P Mahajan is an art critic & a free lance journalist. The Environmentalist stays in Shimla and Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India.
