ABOUT
I am a multi-media artist, working across a range of media, from painting, film, sculpture, and installation. I create mixed-media paintings which incorporate materials such as, heavily textured impasto, pigment powders, straw, textiles, and various found objects.
I gained my Post Graduate diploma in Fine Art, and Foundation in Art & Design from the University Arts London, Central Saint Martins, and My BA honours in Fine Art & English Literature from The University of Reading. I also have a PGCE and a fully qualified teacher status in Art & Design. I currently work from my art studio in Perivale, London. As well as being a full time artist, I work as a Therapeutic art coach within an academic setting. I deliver art workshops in various London locations; provide private art classes/coaching from my studio, and I'm an instructor & mindfulness art coach at MasterPeace creative studios in London.
I was born in the UK to Indian parents. My Mother was born in India (Delhi) and my Father was born in Kenya (Nairobi).
As a child, art was a form of escapism; a magical gift to let my imagination run wild. I would paint on the walls at home and collect an array of objects to make art. I was enchanted by gemstones and minerals and my mother’s jewellery box was my treasure chest. I would adorn myself with her jewellery, sparkly bangles and bindis.
Every Sunday my Father would take me to the temple where I would have Indian classical dance lessons (Kathak). I would wear bells around my ankles and dance to the beat of the Tabla.
My Indian heritage is an important part of my identity and has profoundly influenced my approach to art. Growing up near Southall meant I was neighboured within an Indian community and surrounded by lots of colours, wonderful fabrics music, dance, food and festivals.
"Sometimes we're forced in directions we ought to have found for ourselves."
Maid In Manhattan
When I was coming to end of my first year of teaching I was faced with the shocking news of my best friend having cancer. She passed away within 4 months of being told this devastating news. This left me and many loved ones in a lot of pain, not only did I lose my best friend- I had lost my soul mate. It was then I decided to pack my bags and go on a solo backpacking trip to South East Asia. It was during this time I allowed myself time to heal, and when I returned to the UK, I began my journey of sharing my art with the world.
I will always remember the last words Carys left for those she loved.
"grab life with both hands".
Carys Morgan.
BIO
Komal Madar is a British Indian mixed-media artist based in West London. She works from her art studio at Stewkley House Art Studios, Perivale, London Borough of Ealing. She studied at UAL, Byam Shaw School of art (2007-8), The University of Reading BA, Fine Art (2003-7) and Central St Martins (2002-3).
Her Indian heritage profoundly influenced her approach to painting, using references from Indian music, culture, religion and textiles; which also led her to use unconventional techniques. Madar’s works consist of layers of paint, powdered calcite and limestone and powdered rice traditionally used to make Rangoli patterns, glitter, collage, heavily textured impasto, straw, and textiles. Using heavily decorative and intricate patterns and wild mark-making techniques, she engages with widely diverse themes, including spirituality, concepts and mythology in Hinduism - Yuga Cycle, Life cycles/cycle of samsara (birth, life, death, rebirth, sacred ideals, identity, Tantric paintings (Rajasthan), self-awareness and nature.
"I want the viewer to go on a journey that not only evokes an emotion but one that offers an insight into my own subconscious and interest in ideas around transcendence. I want the freedom to explore my identity and expressions without boundaries.”
Her intuitive response and use of materials is central to her process. Her studio unveils her use of techniques, from flicking, scraping, splattering, and burning materials such as acrylics, oil, inks, fabric and plaster.
Madar’s Lost, Found, and Treasured collection reveals the new identity of reclaimed and salvaged items, including Madar's love for incorporating fabric offcuts into her paintings. The variety of fabrics are an exquisite feast for the eyes; each piece telling a story.
Circles are a recurring theme in her work; Madar is drawn to their symbolic, cultural and religious associations including the Cosmic world, ideas around the cyclic universe, Chakras (wheel) and the natural world.
Her works can be explored and enjoyed within each categorised collection; Surface, Reimagined landscapes, Natural World, Lost Found & Treasured, Śhakti- sanskrit for (power, energy, strength) and Dhyāna (meditation).
The common thread that runs and links Madar's body of work is the theme of Nature. Madar believes nature’s beauty in all its elements possesses an inexhaustible vitality and the promise of infinity. Madar constructs magical and fantastical imagery in a world that is increasingly becoming mechanical.
Her recent paintings echo her concerns for self-destruction, environmental destruction, and the tension between the natural world and human errors.