prema sundararajan

Born in Surrey, England in 1969, from South Indian parentage, Prema began sketching and painting from an early age. After studying History of Art at university, Prema pursued a career in the Art and Design worlds before concentrating on her own art.

The work of Prema Sundararajan comprises a character-based world where predominantly Miko, her main character is captured on canvas. Each painting provides a kind of snapshot view of a moment in her life. There is usually a narrative element to her work where humour, intrigue and mystery can play a part. Character and individuality fascinate Prema and her use of characters allows her to escape and create a happy, sublime world where fantasy and reality collide. She often draws upon elements of her own life for her subject matter; 'Going Fondant Fancy picking' 2004, uses childhood memories of eating fondant fancies as a basis for the huge Fondant Fancy Tree from which Miko is poised to pick.

Prema is an admirer of the beauty that lies within good design. She is particularly interested in the purity and efficacy of Minimalism and the idea that 'less can be more'. Prema applies these values and philosophies to her own work. Concept, shape, space, colour, detail and composition all have equal importance in her work. Prema works in acrylics on canvas. Her technique is highly stylised. The colour is applied in flat planes where space is shallow giving the whole picture a 2-Dimensional formal quality. The colours are often pure and vibrant heightening the visual experience and there is much attention to detail.

Prema has exhibited her work in London and Manchester. She lives and works in London.


Exhibitions

Meet the Artists
Off Broadway Gallery
London
May 2003

Inspired Art
The Old Truman Brewery
London
October 2003

On The Wall
Olympia
London
September 2004

The Manchester Art Show
GMEX
Manchester
October 2005