Meet the Artist:
Whether you’ve recently started buying art in Singapore or you’re a seasoned collector, KETNA PATEL is a name you’re likely to encounter – and that’s because her beautifully vibrant pieces are hard to miss!
Step in the shoes of Ketna Patel
Born in Uganda, Ketna grew up in a conservative Gujarati Indian society in neighbouring Kenya before leaving for London at age 14. Ten years later, she arrived in Singapore to work as an architect, which she shortly gave up to focus solely on her passion for art. Always interested in sociology and culture, she set up a commune at a home studio in Chip Bee Gardens, which she shared with 10 people from various backgrounds. These joint houses became a well-known magnet for visitors and events, resulting in some pretty organic and creative collaborations and projects.
In 2013, after more than 20 successful years in Singapore, she moved away, splitting her time between the UK and Pune in India, and continuing to manage her art business. Other projects included purchasing and renovating a chapel in Wales, focusing on village projects in India, and renovating her grandmother’s home in London (now solely her studio).
With the pandemic forcing Ketna’s pace of life to slow somewhat, we took this chance to ask her about her life, her art and more.
Why did you first move to Singapore?
I arrived for a mere one-year stint to work on an architectural project (The Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay) and ended up staying for 20! Even though I am ethnically Indian, having grown up in East Africa and then the UK, this was my first proper encounter with Asian culture, and I was hooked.
Why did you end up making it your home for so long?
I believe that unfamiliarity is a necessary prerequisite for creativity, otherwise we run the risk of being shackled by our conditioning. Asia was holding a mirror up to my intrinsic cultural genesis, and I got to know myself better through traversing back in time to the various histories that bind this region together.
How did your art in Singapore grow?
There was so much to observe and learn; it was the ultimate adventure for my mind, body and soul. Also, all the culinary flavours and non-stop sunshine melted my somewhat pragmatic conditioning, and I found myself bursting with the creative impulse of wanting to travel, explore and experiment. After all, how can anybody be indifferent to the visceral expressions of Asia?
The first decade was the one before internet and smart phones, so I ended up with thousands of photographs from my obsessive documentation of neighbouring countries. That led to a studied “unpacking” of Asian street culture, using colours, layering, photo collage and printing techniques. The rest is history!
Why did you move back to the UK?
Well, even though I absolutely love Singapore, the creative impulse is always to challenge oneself. I had become too comfortable! My nationality has always been British (read about the East African Gujarati community in the UK; it’s a compelling backstory of colonisation), so it’s home to me; it’s also where all my family lives.
Having observed older friends and how difficult it was for them to assimilate into the return home after being an expatriate for so long, I decided to do this sooner rather than later. It wasn’t going to be easy, and I needed the energy and verve to overcome the challenges of relocation.
What do you miss about Singapore?
It may sound weird, but once I move on, I tend not to miss places. I think about them often, with great affection, but my psyche is immersed in what is going on around me right now, and that happens to be lockdown London!
Having said that, some of my closest friendships were made and nurtured in Singapore, and this “tribe” lives on through all the wonderful means of communication we are so lucky to have. We visit each other, go on holidays, and cook our favourite Singaporean dishes. A friend of mine and I were even thinking of starting a Singapore expat group in the UK!
What do you love about living in the UK?
Everything! The changing of seasons, the depth of discussion and debate about current affairs, political awareness, architecture, museums, the countryside, vintage pubs, the proximity of Europe, old friends, family … and British humour!
How has this life change affected your art and expression?
When I moved back to London, Britain was embroiled in Brexit. After two decades of not participating in politics, I found myself really interested in knowing the why and how of what people were thinking and feeling. That led to my usual process of uncovering my truth, by travelling! I went to all parts of the country and Europe, talking to as many people as possible. Ultimately, I’m a storyteller, and as the context has changed, so has my narrative. I still have my art in Singapore and I’m still a pop artist, but Britain’s streets are telling me a different story altogether, so transmuting these complex histories means I have become a student all over again.
What’s on the horizon for you?
I’ve been involved with initiatives that foster cultural bridges between the UK and India, so that’s going to translate into me splitting time between the two countries. In the UK, I’ve embarked on a nationwide documentation of “invisible” British culture: forgotten villages and towns. For example, I’ve just returned from a week in Suffolk, where I was really taken aback by the medieval “pop” villages of Lavenham and Kersey, to name a couple. There is so much more to discover!
What advice would you give the Ketna Patel arriving in Singapore all those years ago?
Now that I’m in my early fifties, I would tell her not to take time for granted. Our lives are fleeting, so make the most of them, and honour the gift of experience and change, for that’s the only way to induce inner growth. If something doesn’t feel right, change it. Don’t squander your time.
Ketna Patel Art Studio (Singapore, India, UK) contact@ketnapatel.com | +44 7982654310