Ketna is a highly prolific British-Indian multi media artist. Born in East Africa, educated in UK, and based in South East Asia + India for the last twenty five years, she uses her training in Design and Architecture to map observations gleaned from her compulsive travels onto an existentialist, yet to be defined new global anthropology that is fast emerging.
Having recently transplanted her studio from Singapore to two 'travelling studios' in the UK and India, she describes herself as being deeply tri-cultural; grounded in an evolving human identity beyond the rapidly evaporating boundaries of culture, nationality and geography. She believes that for most artists, there is no divide between their ‘private’ life and their ‘professional’ output. All realizations and insights gleaned from inter-personal relationships, travels, media etc can be transmuted into a heightened awareness / expression of where human society is at today, and possibly where it may be heading towards....
Patel's work has been exhibited at Museums, Galleries and Art Fairs all over the world. Aside from being the recipient of the prestigious ASEAN Art Award, Ketna is also a popular TV and Radio personality, and her Art has also been much sought after by the Entertainment Business. Some of her clients include IIFA (International Indian Film Academy) and Hollywood Director Spike Lee. A voracious photographer, she was recently invited by SONY to be a brand ambassador for their digital camera advertising campaign, which was beamed to millions of people all over the world for more than six months. She has licensed her artwork for many applications; the last being an ongoing contract with the giant Austrian Furniture maker ADA to make Art-bed headboards inspired by European history. Likewise, she was also commissioned by Singapore based fashion label ‘AllDressedUp’ for their Spring/Summer 2010 collection, which was shown in 25 countries. She regularly supports charity / fund raising initiatives e.g in April 2015, she was invited by Singapore's AWARE and WOAM (Women on a mission) to stage a solo exhibition to raise money for the recent Nepal earthquake. In 2012, she painted a giant fibreglass elephant for the internationally famous ‘Elephant Parade’, and in the same altruistic vein, was also recently was a brand ambassador for ‘KIEHLS’, the cosmetic company to raise money for autism. In 2011, Tata Motors (India) commissioned her to convert one of their ‘Nano’ Cars into a work of Art, which she did using Italian glass mosaic by SICIS. Recently, the Salsali Private Museum in Dubai acquired and exhibited her now famous artwork ‘Asian Grandfathers’. Aside from being commissioned by several hotels and restaurants in Singapore and the U.K, Patel has participated in talks, workshops and exhibitions worldwide. Her works continue to be collected and exhibited in numerous institutions and international private collections.
Alongside her studio work, from 2013 – 2018, Ketna has been organizing and participating in ‘Rural – Urban’ divide village projects in India and the U.K. to continue investigating the ramifications of Globalization on 'Identity', 'Populism' and 'Nationhood'.
In 2018, she was presented with the UK-India Youth leader award, and consequently selected to be part of the steering committee for the Commonwealth Business Women’s network (both headquartered in London). Ketna is also a member of the non profit Thinktank organization ‘BRIDGEINDIA’ (http://www.bridgeindia.org.uk)
Ketna Patel’s artwork challenges our prejudices and pretensions about art, in much the same way that early Western Pop artists did. “Using different cultures and historical events, I juxtapose mythological characters, Gods, Political icons and the common man on the same canvas. This is a romance between the old and the new, once prohibited by stringent cultural, political, and class boundaries that have hemmed in most of us”.