Keeping It Real
My everyday lingo is a millennial lingo.
"I am drawn to using new phrases and words that reflect our millennial culture. I like how casual it is and at the same time sending the messaging across… #TGIF #FOMO #YOLO #TFW #TBT #ATM. Every painting in the Keeping it real collection” is inspired by millennial hashtags"
Keerthana S Kumar
Keeping It Real
Drawing inspiration from pop culture, fauvism, and symbolism, Keerthana's work serves as a vibrant testament to the influences that shape her creative vision. Her art has organically evolved, shaped by personal encounters with colour biases and gender prejudices that profoundly influenced her self-perception.
Featuring Keerthana S Kumar - October, 06, 2022 - Hotel Indigo, Dubai
.Womanhood
‘Keeping it Real’ is a 2022 project that consists in six original acrylic on canvas paintings, each measuring 91cm in height and 76cm in width. The concept is to highlight the female figure who lifts the voices that challenge social traditions, and gender dynamics and replace them with a new narrative that offers possibilities for every woman to live life king-size.
It is all about managing everyday emotions, being vulnerable, and thriving in simple pleasures. By doing so, we come across as authentic, who do not follow cultural norms but strive to develop a norm that is centered on peace, passion, and, full of life.
As a woman of colour, she confronted challenges stemming from her dark complexion within her racial and ethnic communities. The arbitrary expectations of gender roles felt like shackles on her free will, especially in the conservative setting of Chennai, India, where she was raised.
Originally from Bangalore, India, in this conservative community, Keerthana encountered a scarcity of representations reflecting her own narrative in media, social circles, and even within her family, who had achieved remarkable success. Fuelled by her unconventional mindset, she bravely questioned societal conditioning, determined to carve out a space where she could make a difference in her world.
