You are here Artists Anuradha Kabra
Artist Statement by Anuradha Kabra
Bringing in more depth into my paintings and making them more meaningful is what excites me. Growing up in the influence of the famous Zoologist, Reuben David, had me intrigued with the life of animals and how they inhabit and are so integral to our lives. My love for animals influenced and still continues to influence my artistic ventures.
I was lucky to be born into a family which thrived in art and culture. I was introduced to various arts forms like music and dance besides painting from early childhood by my parents. The constant influx of a myriad variety of people from different cultures all around me gave rise to a deep sense of respect and interest in learning more about what shaped them and the common threads of beliefs which tied them together.
Living in Singapore for over a decade widened my horizon as my paths crossed with people of different nationalities. It brought in the realisation that India was not the only country with a rich history, mythology and colourful traditions. There was a wealth of learning from different civilizations and thus started my journey of exploring the roots of other cultures.
I was so excited with every new experience and wanted to put it together as a celebration of us as a human race. In-spite of geographically being so far apart, there are so many beliefs and customs which are common between different cultures.
This is what I strive to depict in my paintings and the subjects keep evolving as I go deeper into them. Just as the Mother’s Day series was a tribute to the eternal bond between all mothers with their off-springs, the Ragini series is all about the relationship between music, astronomy and our etheric body. The Creation series explores the possibilities of how and who sowed the first seeds of creation and sustain them. The series Tree of Life astounds us with the fact that every ancient culture worshipped the Tree, or simply put, Nature.
My involvement in the docent training program at the Asian Civilizations Museum in Singapore is creating another level of understanding of the cross culture that influenced trade, religions, art, philosophy, science and what not and its flowing out into my new creations with more authenticity and understanding. Vincent Van Gogh and M C Escher continue to inspire me in my artistic pursuits with their bold and powerful colours and the intricate and fascinating geometric precision. My expression leans towards realistic expressions with a flavour of mysticism and layers of thoughts interwoven between the vibrant colours and the pencil shades.
Artist profile
Originally from Jodhpur (India), Anuradha Kabra has made Singapore her home since the past decade. Her informal education in art & music started from a very young age from her mother (Kamla Kabra) and father (Brijbhushan Kabra), both well-known artists.
Her love for the vibrancy of Van Gogh’s work & the precision of Escher led to her evolving her own unique style of blending pencil with vibrant watercolours and chalk pastels on paper. Her curiosity and deep interest in mythology and Mysticism is reflected in her artistic pursuits. Her recent works explore the synthesis of culture with faiths & beliefs and the mystery of creation. She is working on her new series which explore the symbolism of mythological animals across various cultures.
She has successfully exhibited in group and solo shows in Singapore and India and was the exhibiting artist at the Indonesian Economic Forum in Jakarta in 2016. Her last show in Hyderabad, India was hosted by Kalakriti Art Gallery, India. Her work has been successfully exhibited in the Affordable Art Fair in Singapore in 2017 and 2018.
Born 1963 Jodhpur, India. She has lived and works in Singapore since 2007.
Education
- 2018 : Docent, Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore
- 2015 : TEFL certificate course
- 1983 : Bachelor of Commerce, India
Exhibitions
Select Solo Exhibitions
- 2018 : Kalakriti Art Gallery, Hyderabad, India
- 2016 : Indonesia Economic Forum, Jakarta
- 2016 : Mother’s Day, Hosted by Fabbrica, Singapore
- 2016 : MAAD, Red Dot Museum, Singapore
- 2015 : Partnering with Loyal-D, Myra’s, Singapore
Group Shows
- 2017 : Affordable Art Fair, Eyemage Art Gallery, Singapore
- 2017 : Symphony of Colours, Visual Arts Centre, Singapore
- 2017 : Tatinis, The Art House, Singapore
- 2016 : Tatinis, The Art House, Singapore
Collections
- CREATION : The mystery of creation is a question deeply embedded into all our minds from the beginning of time
- FAITHS & BELIEFS : Faith and Beliefs of different civilizations which are so unique and yet are woven together with elements of each other
- RAGINI : A septet on the 7 main Indian Ragas tied together with the 7 Chakras and their different aspects
- TREE OF LIFE : A symbol of fruitfulness and prosperity which centres the society in many cultures
- ANCIENT MERCHANTRY : A tryptic celebrating the infusion of trade between civilizations
- SYNTHESIS : The synthesis of ancient cultural symbols of different countries
- ELEMENTS : A set of 5 artworks centred on the oriental mythical creatures, the dragon & phoenix
- THIS IS INDIA : An 18 feet long artwork on canvas commissioned by Flying Monkey, Singapore
- YIN & YANG : 15 animal & bird pairs depicting the balance in nature
- MOTHER & CHILD : In honour of motherhood, 14 mothers with their babies from all over the world
- ANIMAL FRIENDS : A collection of over 60 pen drawings
