Komal Madar (b. 1983) works across painting, sculpture, performance and installation. Her multidisciplinary practice examines materials and their materiality through an anthropological lens, drawing on ritual, memory, and embodied labour. Her practice is grounded in the philosophy of kismet (fate) and chance as both method and material. Her work often begins with the hunt for materials, and this search started close to home. Raised within an Indian community in the UK, she grew up surrounded by its aesthetic and material cultures, particularly textiles. Through layered imagery, she explores narratives shaped by Indian mythology, symbolism, and surrealist visual languages. She constructs sculptural forms where references to the body recur and feminist discourse and labour intersect. Her recent work with wearable sculpture and found objects is activated through movement, dance and ritual, informed by ancestral knowledge and the rhythms and rituals of her lived cultural experience.
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​​Madar graduated with an MA in Fine Art from Liverpool John Moores University (2025). She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Fine Art from Byam Shaw School of Art (2011), a BA in Fine Art and English Literature from the University of Reading (2007), and a Foundation Diploma from Central Saint Martins (2003).
In 2026, she secured representation with Runjeet Singh Gallery. Recent projects include an augmented-reality collaboration with computer programmer Julian Todd (2025) and Traces for the Liverpool Independents Biennial. Exhibitions include NAE Open 2026, Runjeet Singh Gallery opening (April 2026), Talisman at Bridewell Studios & Gallery (2025), and Miniature Postage Stamp Masterpiece at Nippon Gallery (touring India, 2024–2025). In 2023, Madar's work was featured in Vogue India, highlighting her Yoni textile sculptures within a contemporary art landscape.
Photo credit: Julian Todd
Education and Qualifications
2025 | Liverpool John Moores University, MA Fine Art
2011 | Institute Of Education, PGCE Art & Design, London
2008 | Byam Shaw School of Arts, Post Graduate Diploma, Fine Art, London
2007 | The University Of Reading, BA, Fine Art & English Literature
2003 | Central Saint Martins, Foundation Studies, London
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Solo Shows
2025 | Talisman, Liverpool Independents Biennial, Bridewell Studios & Gallery
2025 | Sari Forest, DoES Liverpool
2025 | Materiality in Motion, Exhibition Research Lab: Snapshot 10: John Lennon Art and Design Building, LJMU
2024 | The Opening: Yoni as a Symbol of Sacredness and Strength, The Glass Pencil Gallery, Stockley Park, Uxbridge
2018 | Visions of Colour: Hyatt Place Hotel, London
Group Exhibitions (selected)
2026 | Runjeet Singh Gallery, Opening Weekend, Warwickshire
2026 | NAE Open 2026, New Art Exchange Gallery, Nottingham
2025 | Traces, Liverpool Independents Biennial, The Bakery Studios & Gallery
2025 | Monuments of Memory, Stable Gallery, St George's Hall, Liverpool, Independent Degree Show
2025 | Expand, X gallery, John Lennon Art and Design Building, Liverpool John Moores University
2024 | Conjure, X gallery, John Lennon Art and Design Building, Liverpool John Moores University
2024 | Nippon Gallery, Miniature Postage Stamp Masterpieces, (travelling exhibition) India, Bangalore, Kolkata & Pune, Maharashtra
2023 | Arachne Press: Ten Years of Book Cover Art, Stephen Lawrence Gallery, London
2023 | Flux, 178 St James - Piccadilly, London
2022 | Holy Art Gallery, Ways of Seeing, London
2021 | Flux, Design District, London
2019 | Artrooms Roma: Church Palace Hotel, Rome
2019 | Flux: National Army Museum, London
2018 | Artrooms Roma: Church Palace Hotel, Rome
2017 | FLUX: Chelsea College of Arts
2017 | La Galleria Pall Mall: Shortlisted for the Royal Arts Prize, London
Awards and Residencies (selected)
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2027 | BRIDGE International Residency Programme, New Art Exchange, Bangkok & Nottingham.
In partnership with Creative Migration (East) Foundation, based at Bangkok 1899
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​​Professional Development
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2024 | Indian miniature painting, Jaipur, teachers - Ajay Sharma and Vinita Sharma (3 months)
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Public Commissions/Projects (selected)
2022 | Homegrown, Feltham Fete, Arts Council England, Creative People and Places, and London Borough of Hounslow
2021 | Love Ealing Love Local, Community Project, England European Regional Development Fund
2019 | Our Hayes Our Heritage Project, Hillingdon Council, London
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Shortlisted Achievements​
2026 | Shortlisted, FACT Liverpool Digital Crip Camp at Studio/Lab
2026 | Shortlisted, Venice Fellowship Programme: British Pavilion, Decolonising Arts Institute (UAL)​
2025 | John Moores Painting Prize, Stage 2 selection (from over 3,000 entries)
2025 | Shortlisted, Factory International Artist Takeover
2025 | Shortlisted, Soup Liverpool, Sari Forest Project
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Press & Publications
2025 | Materiality in Motion, Art in Liverpool
2024 | 7 Top Female Artists Defining Modern Indian Art, Desi Blitz
2023 | Come and See, Editorial feature, Vogue India
2023 | Komal Madar’s 'Yoni' Textile Art Celebrates The Feminine Power Of Vaginas, Homegrown
2015 | Off the Wall, World of Interiors
2015 | Design Report, World of Interiors
2015 | Room Revolutions, House & Garden
2015 | Inspirational interiors, House & Garden
2015 | Vogue's Gallery, British Vogue
Invited Talks & Lectures
2026 | MA Fine Art Digital (Year 2), Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London