What is your specialty, what makes your work unique? Or place your artist's statement.
My curiosity for sustainability, in its myriad of forms, stems from the friction and conflicting positions that arise between personal, social and institutional confinements and structures. In my work I use narratives and experiences to explore past, present and future manifestations of what sustainability can, could or should represent.
An acute attention to find balanced between playful and theoretical approaches is relevant for my practice. The desire is to give place for unexpected elements to arise and transpire by exploring transdisciplinary and interactive artistic forms. Thereby, curating a responsive environment for experimentation, dialogs and reflection.
A prevalent component in the method is for the individual and collaborative enactments of known and explored theories or concepts of circularity and sustainability to be brought to life. Brought to life in new scenarios by formulating a platform to test, research and reflect on how they translate and evolve with the realities of everyday life. Therefore, an unfolding of an ideology, it’s pitfalls or potential possibilities can be realised and learned from and through tactile testing grounds. One such testing ground is the LDD* project which I started in 2017. It began with the desire to transform the creative industry into a circular and sustainable one, by walking the walk, it has evidently spilt over into a variety of social and dynamic settings. Through evaluation and reflection I decided in 2020 to turned LDD into a foundation in order to grow, deepen and expand upon the platforms core goals and vision. Taking on new projects and forging new collaborations such as the recent project The Creative Playground**.
(*LDD - Lucrative Dumpster Dives http://lucrativedumpsterdives.nl/)
(**https://thecreativeplayground.eu/)
What are your ambitions? What do you want to be in five years?
It’s my intention to continue to invest in the LDD foundation. I know that in time and through, experimentation, partnerships, sharing, evaluating and having patience the LDD foundation will grow into fruition.
The vision is to continue to collaborate and create projects that will give more opportunities for artists and makers too engaged in and explore social and sustainable themes. Such as our current project The Creative Playground created in partnership with Perron West.
Please visit our website to find out more about how you can visit and join our activities http://thecreativeplayground.eu/
What is the most important thing you have learned during your studies?
Pedagogy isn’t something that is solely established within a set time or setting. It is giving and taking without hierarchical approaches, it is an open source of sharing of understandings and questioning. It is a beautiful lifelong experience that you can take with you wherever you go.
List of publications / exhibitions / prices / concerts / shows etc.
DIRECTORSHIP & INITIATIVES
Sept 2020 – To date
The conceptual designer, curator, and organiser of The Creative Playground. A socially engaged art space that hosts art residency programs, in collaboration with Perron West, Utrecht, Netherlands. https://thecreativeplayground.eu/
2017 – To date
Founder of LDD – Lucrative Dumpster Dives. A foundation that transforms the art and cultural sector into a sustainable circular economy Utrecht, Netherlands https://lucrativedumpsterdives.nl/
EXHIBITIONS
Oct. 2021
Re | Nature Festival 's Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
June - July 2021
The Time That Keeps Growing Quietly in Our Absence, at The Creative Playground, Moria, Casco Art Institution, Academy Gallery, Utrecht, Netherlands
September. 2020
Belofte Jubilee a collaboration with artist Joyce Overheul at Kunstliefde, Utrecht, Netherlands
October. 2019
Het Klimaatmusem, Pop-Up at the Centraal Station, Utrecht, Netherlands
Jan. 2018
Tickin’ Dinner an independent exhibition co-organised with Lisette van Hoogenhuyze, Iriée Zamblé, Sarah Reinbold and Robin Valster, Utrecht, The Netherlands
CURATING
April. 2019
Experimental a 2-week exhibition. Conceptual curator and organiser at Tube, HKU University of the Arts, Utrecht, Netherlands
Feb - March 2010
Art Cuttney - Art Bengaluru Festival
Curator and participant, Bengaluru, India.
Nov. 2009
Sayyam Exhibition, Participant and co-producer with Asaph Maurer and curator Sanjay Sethia with Gallery 5, New Delhi, India
SELECTED TEACHING, WORKSHOPS & SEMINARS
Feb 2021- To Date
Sustainable design: Lab and seminar for design students at HKU University of the Arts, Utrecht, Netherlands
Sept. 2020
Sowing Sustainable Prospects: Explore the Landscape of Leidsche Rijn and Imagine the Future Workshop. As a co-conceptual designer in collaborations with Artists Merel Zwarts from the Traveling Farm Museum and Postdoctoral Researcher Corelia Baibarac-Duignan from Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.
April. 2020
Eco Artistic Storytelling 1-week seminar for design students. As a conceptual designer and organiser at HKU University of the Arts, Utrecht, Netherlands
Oct - Nov 2019
Revenge of the Stuff a 2-week seminar on sustainability for EMT students. As a co-designed and organised in collaboration with Mina Stojanovic, at HKU University of the Arts, Utrecht, Netherlands
June - Aug 2019
Summer workshops for children. Co-designed with students from the art and education and fine art department HKU University of the Arts, Utrecht, Netherlands for the Centraal Museum, Utrecht, Netherlands.
April. 2019
Experimental Drawing with reusable materials from the LDD store for fine art students. As a conceptual designer and organiser at HKU University of the Arts, Utrecht, Netherlands
Jan. 2019
New ways to swap and exchange materials as a forward-thinking artist, for fine art students. As a conceptual designer and organiser at HKU University of the Arts, Utrecht, Netherlands
Sept – Dec 2018
4 Elements for first year fine art students on the use of reusable materials and sustainability within the arts. As a conceptual designer and organiser at HKU University of the Arts, Utrecht, Netherlands
Sept. 2018
World Clean-up day workshop, as a conceptual designer, Utrecht, Netherlands.
OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES
Sep - Oct 2021
Co-Producer, Re | Nature Festival 's Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
March. 2019
Cross-sections exhibition. As artists assistant at Galerie Sanaa, Utrecht, Netherlands
July – Aug 2017
Haunted Machines & Wicked Problems
International business communication and coordination with artists and curators, Internship at Impakt Festival, Utrecht, Netherlands
June. 2017
Once We Were Artists symposium. As an assistant volunteer. Organised by BAK Bsis voor Actuele Kunst, Utrecht, Netherlands
SCHOLARSHIP
Nov. 2019
Management scholarship for developing various activities related to sustainability at HKU University of the Arts, Utrecht, Netherlands
COMMISSION WORKS
2016 – 2010 Commercial and private, indoor and outdoor, installations, sculptures and paintings in Goa, New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangaluru, India
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
2017 – 2009 Numerous paintings in New Delhi, Bangaluru, Kolkata and Mumbai, India