kumari nahappan is a full-time painter, sculptor and installation artist. She has exhibited extensively in Asia, Europe and the United States. A collection of kumari’s chilis from her Nature Borne series were exhibited at the Mori Museum in Tokyo, Japan for Spotlight Singapore in 2006. Currently, kumari is having a solo exhibition “Red, Hot on the trail of a colour” at the Museum of Cultures in Basel, Switzerland.

kumari was commissioned by the National Museum of Singapore to create a giant chili pepper, which was installed at its new premises on the 14th of July 2006. Recently, she was also commissioned by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore to create a giant saga seed titled “Saga” for Changi Airport Terminal 3, which was completed in December 2007. In March 2008, kumari completed a giant chili pepper and a family of singing chilis for Wheelock Properties, The Sea View condominium in Singapore.

Since she was named Shell Discovery Art’s Promising Artist in 1992, kumari has gone on to win numerous awards and commendations. In 1998, she won first prize in the UOB Group's 17th Painting of the Year Competition (Abstract Category). kumari was awarded the Ksatria Seni Award 2004 by the prestigious Museum Rudana in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, in conjunction with its 8th anniversary celebrations. Besides being the only woman, kumari is also the first foreigner to receive the award.