Key milestones of a prominent photo-performance’s career

• Known to be an innovative artist, who is keen on experimenting with her artistic devices and strategies, Pushpamala N incorporates popular culture symbols into her creations. She adopts popular personas and ironic roles to raise and examine issues related to gender, place and history. The ironic aspect is particularly sharp in her photo-based installations and projections.

• Pushpamala N, born in 1956 in Bangalore, studied at Bangalore University, and then grasped nuances of Sculpture at the Faculty of Fine Arts, M. S. University, Baroda, where she completed her Bachelors and later her Masters degree. She is the recipient of the National Award (1984); the gold medal at the Sixth New Delhi Triennale (1986); the Charles Wallace Trust Fellowship for residency (1992-93); and the Senior Fellowship, Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development (1995-97).

• The artist’s work has been widely exhibited internationally. Among her selective participations are `New Indian Art`, Manchester Art Gallery, UK (2002); `Ways of Resisting`, Sahmat, New Delhi (2002); `Century City` Tate Modern, London, UK (2001); `Moving Ideas` Hoopoe Curatorial, Montreal and Vancouver, Canada (2001); Open Circle International Workshop, Mumbai (2000).

• The artist launched her career with sculpting, exhibiting interest in narrative figuration. Gradually, she moved to photo and video performance art, casting her own body as different characters and personae. Blending autobiographical notes with surreal aesthetics and dramatics, her works superimpose polyvalent layers of femininity, humor, and guise. Even while transgressing the limitations of mimetic figural representation she has faithfully stuck to the narration of the female form. Her work tends to engage with theories of postcolonial identity coupled with feminist historical gaze.

• Her art practice that never quite resolve the mysteries posed as the probably do not want to.Applauding her work and putting it a broader context, The New York Times art critic, Holland Cotter, had noted on eve of NY solo debut: “Photography and filmmaking made its way in India immediately after their invention in Europe. This is one reason South Asia has a long history of sophisticated and quality work in both media. Pushpamala N. takes account of that history and makes it her own.”