Pushpamala N.

Pushpamala N. is a contemporary Indian artist and actor based in Bangalore. Born in Bangalore in 1956, she studied sculpture at the Faculty of Fine Arts at M.S. University in Baroda. She began her career as a sculptor, but soon moved into photography, video, and performance art.

Pushpamala's work is known for its exploration of gender and cultural identity in contemporary India, often through the use of self-portraiture and references to historical Indian art forms. She is particularly interested in the way that images of women have been constructed and represented in Indian visual culture, and her work often incorporates elements of traditional Indian iconography, mythology, and popular culture.

One of her most well-known series is "The Photo Studio" (2000-2004), in which she staged and photographed herself in a variety of stereotypical roles of women in Indian society, including a housewife, a Bollywood actress, and a seductive vamp. In her series "Native Women of South India: Manners and Customs" (2000), she created a series of photographs that mimicked ethnographic images of tribal women in India, questioning the authenticity and authority of such representations.

Pushpamala has exhibited extensively both in India and internationally, including at the Venice Biennale, the Gwangju Biennale, and the Biennale of Sydney. She has also received several awards for her work, including the Prince Claus Award in 2007 and the Sharjah Biennial Prize in 2013.

In addition to her artistic practice, Pushpamala has also worked as an actor in films, theater, and television. She has received critical acclaim for her performances in experimental and avant-garde productions, and has been recognized for her contributions to Indian theater with awards such as the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2011.