KUMARI NAHAPPAN
(b. 1953, Malaysia)
Sculptor and painter KUMARI NAHAPPAN was an interior designer, architect and teacher, before pursuing her passion in fine art at the age of 37. Since then, she has chalked up an impressive list of accolades, which include prestigious awards, grants and exhibitions across the globe. Drawing inspiration from nature and spirituality in Southeast Asia, Nahappan’s elegant, surreal sculptures are unique in the way they breathe life and character into otherwise inanimate objects of nature—from chilis, apples to tomatoes. Today, Nahappan is most known for her big, bright and bold seeds and chili sculptures planted in public spaces around Singapore.
Despite the uncertainties, amidst changes, my practice is a continuum. It builds and layers over time. The notions of time space and energy don’t waver. The responses and manifestations change but primarily they return to a center as a resource.
EXCERPT FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH KUMARI NAHAPPAN AND NICOLE SORIANO
MOVEMENT 1 (Detail)
2016
Cast bronze
59.5 x 39 x 100 cm
Unique Edition
“Plays & experimentation are vital in my practice. Explorations of new materials are dictated by concepts layered with experiences. The most rewarding of the evolution is opening new windows, which either frame the production or provide new perspectives for me as the maker as well as for the viewer.”
EXCERPT FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH KUMARI NAHAPPAN AND NICOLE SORIANO
Though her stay at YAL was brief, the foundry allowed Nahappan to continue her explorations into the Hindu tradition and classical Indian notions on matter and living form, while masterfully employing the solid bronze medium. In her sculpture created at YAL, Movement 1, she enlarged a representation of a bean seed to spotlight the unique and animated ways in which nature germinates and grows. Whimsical and alluring, the piece encourages viewers to see the innate, yet often unseen, energy, mysteries and possibilities radiating from the natural world.
DAWN
2017
Cast bronze
60 x 59 x 54cm