ABOUT
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 Utrecht, Curator 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
