Kuldeep Singh is a multidisciplinary artist – integrating myriad performative elements from his intensive training in Indian classical dance form of Odissi, to a robust visual art practice. Which often incarnates in installation setups, and dioramas through hypnosis of immersion. Components of his plural practice comprise short experimental films, paintings in various sizes and muslin based costumes and soft sculptures. Which later come alive with collaborative productions. His interests range from queer subjectivity and identity/gender representations, to food and ecofeminism; informed through a decolonial thought.
Currently Kuldeep is focusing on reinterpreting the historic ragamala paintings of Central India (16th – 18th c. AD), tackling possibilities in re-inventing ways of connecting queer male bodies to elements of land/food. Aiming at blurring the border between body, nature and eventually the spiritual itself. For this he is bringing into study, the work of indologist Stella Kramrisch’s transliteration of the 6th century CE painting treatise “The Vishnudharmottara” (1928), and David Shulman’s book “A history of imagination in South India” (2012).
He is the recipient of Skowhegan (2014), Yaddo, NY (2015); Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, NE (2016) & Residency Unlimited (NY) residencies. In 2018, he received the NYFA Fellowship (interdisciplinary category) and an Inlaks Foundation Award, in Mumbai. Kuldeep has showcased work at broad platforms in the USA and India, along with an array of lecture-demonstrations.
Kuldeep Singh’s residency is made possible through AAI’s ongoing partnership with Residency Unlimited.