Artist Profile: Nature Shankar

Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your artistic practice?

Hi, I’m Nature, a practicing artist currently based in Singapore. My practice revolves around the use of textiles and other items of personal comfort, be it food or letters, but mainly textiles.

My practice is very process-driven and stems mostly from personal experiences. In my practice, I re-examine the meaning of existence in its various facets – physical, emotional, socio-political – often starting through the lens of being ‘mixed’. Through this process, I revisit raw and uncomfortable personal experiences and narratives in the hopes of quenching a longing to attain comfort and acceptance with my mind, body and the spaces I occupy.

Tell us more about your process of making artworks.

The process is driven by movement, and requires the engagement of my whole body: from the use of my fingers and hands, to the pressure from the weight of my entire being. The work and my body is constantly moving around my workspace, which is also my bedroom. I work off the floor before moving to a free space on the wall or cupboard door and then back to the floor again. This process is repeated continuously. 

The first thing my feet touch at the start of the day is the edges of calico, and the last thing at night, no matter how carefully I tiptoe around it, is a damp corner of the surface I had been working on, now waiting to dry.  

The emotional commitment and eventual catharsis that I experience with my work is heightened because the entire process of creating it takes place in the intimate space where I work, rest and ponder. 

The engagement that the works demand of my mind, body and spirit and the intimacy experienced from sharing a space with it is what I enjoy the most.

What are your thoughts on placing your artworks within a home such as Figment’s Red Dragon House?

I’ve always enjoyed seeing works in a home setting.

There’s a layer of intimacy that is unlocked because it feels like the work is part of people’s lives now, so the connection to the work becomes less solipsistic and that’s always nice.

What do you hope people will experience from your works?

I don’t think one can hope for or dictate a particular emotion, thought or sensation when it comes to experiencing an artwork. I think that should be left open-ended and as is a personal experience between the viewer and artwork. 

The practice of Nature Shankar (b. 1996, Singapore) revolves around textiles and hand embroidery. Through her process-driven work, she investigates existence in its raw and often uncomfortable uncertainty by contextualising personal experiences and narratives.

Nature’s works are on display in Red Dragon House.

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