Nandita Kumar is a leading new media artist whose work integrates art, science, technology and community engagement. Born in 1981 in Pamplemousse, Mauritius, she holds a BA in Painting from MS University, Baroda, India, and the Elam School of the Arts at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. She also holds a Master's degree in Experimental Animation from the California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles, USA.
Nandita Kumar's art often explores the interaction between natural and urban environments, using innovative technologies such as custom software, hardware, sensors and smartphone applications. Her installations, sculptures, paintings and animations aim to provoke thought about environmental sustainability, social issues and the impact of technological advances on human life and ecosystems.
Her work has been shown in many prestigious venues and festivals around the world, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Delhi and the International Symposium of Electronic Art (ISEA). She has also been the subject of articles in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The Asian Age and Hindustan Times.
One of Nandita Kumar's most notable projects is "From Paradigm to Paradigm, into the Biomic Time", which critiques the manipulation of environmental facts and misinformation by political and corporate entities. The work combines algorithmically generated haikus with musical scores to highlight discrepancies in public statements on environmental issues.
Kumar's work focuses on sustainability and data transparency, often using sonification (transforming data into sound) to create immersive and educational experiences on critical issues such as water scarcity and pollution.