Talk #92
Pushpamala N.
Pushpamala N has been called “the most entertaining artist-iconoclast of contemporary Indian art”. In her sharp and witty work as a photo- and video-performance artist, sculptor, writer, curator and provocateur, and in her collaborations with writers, theatre directors and filmmakers, she seeks to subvert the dominant cultural and intellectual discourse. She is known for her strong feminist work and for her rejection of authenticity and embracing of multiple realities. As one of the pioneers of conceptual art in India and a leading figure in the feminist experiments in subject, material and language, her inventive work has had a deep influence on art practice in India.
Pushpamala’s work has been shown in numerous international biennales, festivals and exhibitions such as: Fotofest Houston USA ( 2018) Auckland Festival of Photography, New Zealand (2017); Chobi Mela, Dhaka Bangladesh (2017); Busan Biennale, Korea (2016); Berlinale, Germany (2016,2010), Singapore International Performance Festival (2015); Kochi Biennale (2014); Prospect 3 New Orleans USA (2014); First Xian Silk Road Film Festival, China (2014); Photo Espana Madrid, Spain (2012), Ikono On Air Festival (2013); Biennale Jogja XI Indonesia (2011); her recent museum shows include: MACVAL France (2017); KNMA Delhi (2017); National Museum, New Delhi (2016, 2014); San Hose Museum USA (2015); Seattle Art Museum USA (2014); Museum Abteiberg Germany (2013); Surrey Art Gallery Canada (2013); Museo de Chuido, Lisbon Portugal (2013); Museo de Art Contemporaneo, Santiago, Chile (2012); Smart Museum, Chicago, USA (2012); Centre Pompidou Paris (2010, 2011), Tennis Palace Helsinki Finland (2011); MAXXI Museum Rome Italy (2011); National Portrait Gallery Canberra Australia (2011); Whitechapel Gallery, London UK (2010); Saatchi Gallery, London UK (2010); Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, Korea (2010). In 2016 she organized an international seminar on the early modern Indian artist K. Venkatappa in Bengaluru, the edited papers of which will soon be published as a book by Routledge. She was the Artistic Director of the Chennai Photo Biennale 2019 in Chennai India, for which she also organized an international seminar on photography: Light Writing. Her works are in major museum collections such as Tate Modern, London; MOMA New York; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Kiran Nadar Museum Delhi; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney to name a few. Her writing has been published internationally in journals and books. She lives in Bangalore, India.
