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About the artist

kumari is a conceptual artist based in Singapore and has contributed significantly to the artistic and cultural landscape of the country. Throughout her artistic practice, spanned over the last two decades, she has developed an extensive body of works, including paintings, sculptures and installations, which have been exhibited in Asia, Europe and the United States.

Recipient of the United Overseas Bank Painting of the Year award in 1998, and the Phillip Morris Group ASEAN Art Award, kumari has been collecting many accolades as a practicing artist. She was also the first woman and foreigner to be awarded the Ksatria Seni Award in 2004 by the prestigious Museum Rudana in Ubud, Bali.

The works of kumari are well sought after by museums, galleries and private collectors for exhibitions and / or for their own individual collection. Her bronze chillies from her Nature Borne Series were exhibited at the Mori Art Museum, as part of the Spotlight Singapore in Tokyo in 2006. In August 2008, she concluded a year long solo exhibition "Red hot on the trail of a colour" at the Museum of Cultures in Basel. In 2010, she has been invited to travel and showcase the exhibition from Basel, at the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam.

Kumari is also noted for her signature and iconic, monumental public art sculptures – the giant bronze chilli-pepper, Pedas Pedas (2006) was commissioned by and installed at the National Museum of Singapore, the Saga (2007) at the North Arrival Hall in Changi Airport Terminal 3, Singapore and most recently, the Nutmeg (2009) at the newly opened ION Orchard, Singapore and Wild Chilli Couple (2010) for GTower, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.