PROFILE

Kumari Nahappan born in  Klang, Malaysia is a seminal figure in Singapore’s contemporary art scene, widely recognized for her interdisciplinary practice that weaves together sculpture, painting, and installation with cultural narratives rooted in her Hindu upbringing. Her works reflect a thoughtful balance of contemporary expression and spiritual symbolism, exploring enduring themes such as time, space, ritual, and transformation. Graduating in interior design from Willesden College of Technology in London, Nahappan brought her keen understanding of space back to Malaysia, where she embarked on a career in teaching at Universiti  Teknologi  MARA in Malaysia, and later joining an international design practice. At the age of 37, she committed fully to art making , a decision quickly affirmed when she was named a promising artist at the 12th Shell Discovery Art Award prior to her graduation. Her debut solo exhibition was supported by the late Brother Joseph McNally,  founder of LASALLE.

Kumari’s symbolic vocabulary includes chilli peppers, saga seeds, and nutmegs—motifs that appear across her acclaimed public sculptures such as Nutmeg & Mace(ION Orchard), Pedas – Pedas (National Museum), and Pembungaan (OUE Bay front). In recent  years,  she has engaged in environmental projects like The Up cycling Project with Singapore Airlines and Wings of Change at Light to Night 2024, while continuing to mentor artists and contribute to accessibility and education programs. Her accolades include Artist of the Year(Shanghai Art Fair,2011) and the Luminary Award from the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Kumari lives and works in Singapore.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Across decades, Kumari Nahappan’s public artworks have etched themselves into the urban fabric of cities. Monumental forms grounded in symbolism, ritual, and cultural memory. From the gleaming curves of Nutmeg & Mace at ION Orchard to the monumental Anahata composed of thousands of saga seeds, Kumari’s sculptural language embraces scale with grace and confidence. Delicately Grand offers a contemplative shift in scale. This exhibition brings together miniature models of Kumari’s iconic public works, presenting them not as mere replicas, but as intentional distillations of her vision. These models serve not only as studies in form and proportion but as vessels of memory. It traces the artist’s process, architectural thinking, and spatial philosophies that shape her full-scale installations.

What began as practical maquettes for large commissions evolved into an archive of touchstones: tools for ideation, meditation, and teaching. Here, they gather as a quiet chorus of familiar giants now sized for intimate encounters. In bringing the monumental into close view, Delicately Grand invites reflection on how presence is not always a matter of size, but of resonance. By recontextualizing these public interventions within the stillness of a gallery, the exhibition reveals how Kumari's works, deeply rooted in nature, heritage, and energy, remain potent across any dimension. These are works that were once scattered. Across gardens, airports, museums, and cities. Now, they stand together: smaller in form, no less immense in spirit.