Abir Pothi, 2025

Chromatic Currents: Kumari Nahappan’s Landmark India Debut at Pristine Contemporary

At the heart of Chromatic Currents lies a meditation on the ancient spice routes that linked India with Southeast Asia, carrying nutmeg, mace, and pepper across waters alongside cultural traditions, devotional imagery, and myths. Nahappan’s works resituate these shared legacies within contemporary vocabularies, transforming seeds, spices, and organic motifs into expansive canvases, sculptures, and installations.

Her aesthetic, deeply rooted in nature and cultural memory, finds resonance in India—where the migration of materials and ideas has historically shaped visual traditions. By bringing this dialogue to New Delhi, Nahappan connects her Malaysian and Singaporean roots back to a larger continuum of cultural exchange that India inhabits.