Keerthana S Kumar
b. 1993, India
Keerthana S Kumar is a contemporary figurative painter based in India, recognized for her vibrant compositions, bold narratives, and distinctive storytelling. Her work delves into identity, culture, and human experience, serving as a dialogue between history and modernity—where the past informs the present, and the present reimagines the past. Drawing inspiration from historical art, everyday life, and global perspectives, Keerthana creates vivid scenes of realistic fiction that resonate with diverse audiences. Her travels and reflections on culture and consumerism enrich her vision, infusing her work with layered symbolism and dynamic expressions of identity.
Her paintings have been exhibited nationally and internationally at prestigious venues such as World Art Dubai and the India Art Festival. Collectors from India, the US, Europe, and the Middle East have acquired her work, with a collection of 14 pieces housed in an IHG boutique hotel in Dubai and an original painting residing at Chanel India's headquarters in New Delhi.
Keerthana’s art features bold, saturated figures within stylized, graphical environments, capturing universal emotions while remaining deeply personal. Inspired by the multifaceted gods of Indian mythology, her subjects often possess multiple hands, with each gesture adding layers of meaning. Influenced by pop culture, Fauvism, and symbolism, she begins her process with digital collages of found images and personal photographs, which serve as blueprints for her paintings.
Her expressive use of colour defies conventions, transforming realism into vibrant fiction and redefining traditional notions of identity and representation.