Ketna Patel
Ketna Patel is a highly prolific British-Indian multi media POP Artist, often referred to as Asia’s answer to Andy Warhol.
Having lived in Kenya, U.K, Singapore and India, she has been widely acclaimed for converting her Global insights into a compelling visual vocabulary that has injected a fresh counter expression to the predominantly western dominated narrative of world Art. Using different cultures and historical events, she juxtaposes mythological characters, Gods, Political icons and the common man on the same canvas. There is a fresh romance between the old and the new, breaking through stringent cultural, political, and class boundaries that have dominated the world for centuries.
This colourful and confident visual language has been applied onto Art, Fashion, Furniture…..virtually on any surface imaginable! Her collaborations have ranged from Bollywood’s IIFA (International Indian Film Academy) and Hollywood’s Director Spike Lee to corporate giants like TATA, SONY & KIEHLS. Ketna’s artwork has been licensed to fashion companies, carpet houses, furniture makers, book and album covers, and regularly been donated for fund raising initiatives from UNICEF, Elephant Parade & AWARE and more. Patel has participated in talks, workshops and exhibitions worldwide, and her works continue to be collected and exhibited in numerous institutions and international private collections. Another important hallmark of her studio Practice is the ongoing investigation of the ever increasing Rural – Urban divide in both the UK and India, and how this can ultimately impact on our individual and collective ‘Identity’. In the last four years alone, Ketna has explored this phenomenon extensively in Wales (UK), Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh (India). As an acknowledgement of her work, in 2018, she was declared a UK-India Youth leader by India Inc, and subsequently selected to be part of the steering committee for the Commonwealth Business Women’s network. Ketna is also a member of the non profit Thinktank organization ‘BRIDGEINDIA’, and one of the founders of Global Indian Creatives, a new mentorship platform.
Ketna’s creative output has been phenomenal, especially because it is simultaneously both Artistic and Activist in nature. Our interconnected ‘G-local’world needs more multi faceted creatives like her who have lived in several countries, cultures & disciplines, and embody a global spirit that can feel, map and translate the pulse of the world!
