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Artist Bio

Angelina Kumar is an artist and social entrepreneur from India who is based in the Netherlands. In her practice, she is particularly interested in the commons, sustainable and ecological issues, and how these interrelate, intersect and practically take shape when applied to specific local contexts. By conducting local research, forging collaborations with like-minded partners and using art and culture to create experimental sustainable platforms, she aims to establish more healthy and balanced ecosystems.

During her studies at the HKU, University of the Arts Utrecht, Kumar founded LDD – Lucrative Dumpster Dives: a social foundation with a vision to enact circularity and sustainability both within and through arts and culture. Kumar regularly organizes art educational programs on sustainability, which include seminars and workshops for art, design and media students in Utrecht; gives motivational talks on social entrepreneurship for local companies; and curates artist-in-residency programs and cultural art projects in the Netherlands.

Recent and current projects include the Waste Bar 2022, The Creative Playground (2020–ongoing), a socially engaged sustainable artistic hub that Kumar conceptually co-designed and co-organised with Perron West at Westplein in Utrecht. An artist in residence at De Voorkamer in Utrecht and participant in the Re |Nature Festival in Den Bosch Netherlands 2021.

Artist Statement

My curiosity for sustainability, in its myriad of forms, stems from the friction and conflicting positions that arise between personal, social and institutional confinements and structures. In my work I use narratives and experiences to explore past, present and future manifestations of what sustainability can, could or should represent.

 

An acute attention to find balanced between playful and theoretical approaches is relevant for my practice. The desire is to give place for unexpected elements to arise and transpire by exploring transdisciplinary and interactive artistic forms. Thereby, curating a responsive environment for experimentation, dialogs and reflection.

 

A prevalent component in the method of individual and collaborative enactments of known and explored theories or concepts of circularity and sustainability. Is the act of bringing them to life in new scenarios formulates a platform to test, research and reflect on how they translate and evolve with the realities of everyday life. Therefore, an unfolding of an ideology, it’s pitfalls or potential possibilities can be realised and learned from through tactile testing grounds. One such testing ground is the foundation LDD which I started in 2017. It began with the desire to transform the creative industry into a circular and sustainable one, by walking the walk, it has evidently split over into a variety of social and dynamic settings. Depth and potential futures continue too unfold with each evaluation, reflection and intervention.

Pod cast

In this podcast episode of Lombok Talks, Bart Snijders talks to Angelina Kumar from about sustainability and art. What exactly is sustainability? And how can sustainability also be a lifestyle. She also talks about The Creative Playground, a new artist project space at the Westplein 1001 Utrecht.

Regenerative & Distributive design

The Design Beyond The Decline

November 2022.

From edible packs to tables from seaweeds, meet designers who are pioneering a new economy. At Paukhuis De Zwijger Amsterdam Netherlands.

CV

 

EDUCATION 

Feb 2023                            Project Management, Growth Tribe

Sept. 2019 – June 2021   MA of Fine Art HKU Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht, Netherlands

Sept. 2016 – June 2019   BA of Fine Art HKU Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht, Netherlands

Sept. 2017 – Jan 2017      Art and Economics, Business Modelling Course HKU Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht, Netherlands

June. 2012                          Cambridge. International A & AS Levels Asia Pacific World School / Bangalore

 

SCHOLARSHIP  

Nov. 2019                          Management scholarship for developing various activities related to sustainability at HKU Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht, Netherlands

 

DIRECTORSHIP & INITIATIVES 

Jan 2022 – To date          Conceptual art director for the Waste Bar project Utrecht, NL.

 

Sept 2020 – To date       Conceptual designer, curator, and organiser of The Creative Playground. A socially engaged art space that hosts art residency programs, in collaboration with Perron West, Utrecht, Netherlands. https://thecreativeplayground.eu/ 

 

2017 – To date                  Founder of LDD – Lucrative Dumpster Dives. A foundation that transforms the art and cultural sector into a sustainable circular economy Utrecht, Netherlands https://lucrativedumpsterdives.nl/

 

EXHIBITIONS 

April – May 2023              Ultradependent Public School (UPS) – BAK Utrecht, Netherlands.

 

Nov – Dec 2022                Want Utrecht Die Is Jarig en de Vlaggen Hangen Uit, Stadskantoor, Kunstliefde, Utrecht, Netherlands

 

Sep. 2022                         Group exhibition at Casco Art Institute: Working for the Commons, Utrecht, Netherlands

 

July. 2022                         Little Engineers and Art Academy, Bibliotheek Neude,        Utrecht, Netherlands

 

Oct. 2021                           Re | Nature Festival, ‘s – Hertogenbsoch, Netherlands.

 

June – July 2021              The Time That Keeps Growing Quietly in Our Absence, The Creative Playground, Moria, Casco Art Institution, Academy Gallery, Utrecht, Netherlands. 

 

Sept. 2020                        Belofte Jubilee a collaboration with artist Joyce Overheul at Kunstliefde, Utrecht, Netherlands   

 

Oct. 2019                          Het Klimaatmusem Pop-Up at the Centraal Station, Utrecht, Netherlands 

 

Jan. 2018                         Tickin’ Dinner an independent exhibition co-organised with Lisette van Hoogenhuyze, Iriée Zamblé, Sarah Reinbold and Robin Valster, Utrecht, The Netherlands

 

RESIDENCY & PROJECTS

July – Oct. 2022               Want Utrecht Die Is Jarig en de Vlaggen Hangen Uit, Kunstliefde Utrecht, Netherlands.

 

April – Dec. 2022            Little Engineers and Art Academy, co-created with Mustafa ŞİMŞEKLER, Utrecht, Netherlands

 

Sept – Oct. 2021               Residency at De VoorKamer Utrecht, Netherlands  

 

CURATING 

Sep – Oct 2022                 Culturele Zondag UtrechtCurator for Op& and BAK, Netherlands. 

 

April. 2019                       Experimental a 2-week exhibition. Conceptual curator and organiser at Tube, HKU Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht, Netherlands

 

Feb – March 2010           Art Cuttney – Art Bengaluru Festival, Curator and participant, Bengaluru, India.

 

Nov. 2009                        Sayyam Exhibition, Participant and co-organiser with Asaph Maurer and curator Sanjay Sethia with Gallery 5, New Delhi, India

 

SELECTED TEACHING, WORKSHOPS & SEMINARS 

Feb. 2021 – To date          Sustainable design and art: Workshops, Seminars and Lab for design, fine art, theatre, special design Masters Art, education and cross over creativity students at HKU Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht, Netherlands

 

Sept. 2020                        Sowing Sustainable Prospects: Explore the Landscape of Leidsche Rijn and Imagine the Future Workshop. As a co-conceptual designer in collaborations with Artists Merel Zwarts from the Traveling Farm Museum and Postdoctoral Researcher Corelia Baibarac-Duignan from Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.

 

April. 2020                       Eco Artistic Storytelling 1-week seminar for design students. As a conceptual designer and organiser at HKU Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht, Netherlands

 

Oct – Nov 2019                Revenge of the Stuff a 2-week seminar on sustainability for EMT students. As a co-designed and organised in collaboration with Mina Stojanovic, at HKU Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht, Netherlands 

 

June – Aug 2019             Summer workshop for children. Co-designed with students from the art and education and fine art department HKU Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht, Netherlands, for the Centraal Museum, Utrecht Netherlands.

 

April. 2019                      Experimental Drawing with reusable materials from the LDD store for fine art students. As a conceptual designer and organiser at HKU Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht, Netherlands

 

Jan. 2019                        New ways to swap and exchange materials as a forward-thinking artist, for fine art students. As a conceptual designer and organiser at HKU Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht, Netherlands

 

Sept – Dec 2018 4        Elements for first year fine art students on the use of reusable materials and sustainability within the arts. As a conceptual designer and organiser at HKU Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht, Netherlands

 

Sept. 2018                      World Clean-up Day workshop, as a conceptual designer, Utrecht, Netherlands.

 

TALKS AND INTERVIEWS

March 2023                          Regenerate & Activate – Designing Cities for All Pakhuis De Zwijger, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

 

March 2023                          How to start a foundation presentation – Masters Fine Art HKU, Utrecht, Netherlands.

 

Nov 2022                              The Design Beyond the Decline – Designing Cities for All Pakhuis De Zwijger, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

 

April 2022                           Presentation of a public art project – Honours Program Towards Regenerative Societies, Utrecht University, Netherlands

 

April 2021                             Duurzaamheid en Kunst, Lombok Talks Podcast, Utrecht, Netherlands

 

April 2021                             Motivation presentation, the Circular Economy, and Theory of Change, at iChoosr Amsterdam Netherlands.

 

Oct 2019                                Our House is on Fire, Casco Art Institute Utrecht, Netherlands

 

OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES 

Jun. 2022 – To date       Creative Project Manager, Waterschap Hollandse Delta, Ridderkerk, South Holland, Netherlands. 

 

April – June. 2022          Producer, Water Is What We Make, Gemene Grond (Common Ground) Gemeente Utrecht, Netherlands. https://gemenegrond.nl/  

 

Nov.  2021 – To date     Artistic director: The Waste Bar, La La Foundation, Utrecht, Netherlands. http://wastebar.nl/  

 

Sep – Oct 2021                Co-Producer, Re | Nature Festival ‘s – Hertogenbsoch, Netherlands. https://re-nature.org/ 

 

Sep – June 2021              OC board member Fine Art Department HKU Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht, Netherlands

 

March. 2019                    Cross-sections exhibition. As an artist assistant at Galerie Sanaa, Utrecht, Netherlands 

 

July. – Aug 2017            Haunted Machines & Wicked Problems, International business communication and coordination with artists and curators, Internship at Impakt Festival, Utrecht, Netherlands

 

June. 2017                        Once We Were Artists symposium. As an assistant volunteer. Organised by BAK Bsis voor Actuele Kunst, Utrecht, Netherlands 

 

FINANCIAL SPONSORSHIP

Oct – Dec 2022               Selected for the Distributed Design Mobility Scheme after being endorsed by the Distributed Design Platform member Parkhuis de Zwijger.

 

Many of my projects are a collective effort therefore we have had financial support by different funds such as: Mondriaan Fund, Stichting Doen, KF Hein Fonds,  Initiatieve Fonds, Utrecht 900 Gemeente Utrecht, Stichting Art Utrecht and Machinerie. 

 

COMMISSION WORKS

2016 – 2010                    Commercial and private, indoor and outdoor, installations, sculptures and paintings in Goa, New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangaluru, India

 

PRIVATE COLLECTIONS 

2017 – 2009                  Numerous paintings in New Delhi, Bangaluru, Kolkata and Mumbai, India