Anousha Payne

Spirituality and animism take centre stage in the works of Anousha Payne. Her practice intriguingly fuses moral dilemmas, magic, immateriality, and metamorphic characters. Rooted in stories carrying a rich historical legacy passed down through generations, her work evolves through personal adaptations and embellishments. The narratives Payne explores, particularly in Tamil folklore, serve as the foundation for her exploration of human interaction, communication, and the evocative power of simple gestures and expressions.

Anousha Payne's artistic practice embraces both paintings and ceramics, interweaving these mediums to delve into the profound theme of the human pursuit of spirituality. Through her creative exploration, Payne questions the possibility of infusing spirituality into an object. She examines the material qualities of religious or spiritual artifacts, considering how these qualities shape our encounters and influence our experiences. Drawing inspiration from her dual Irish and Indian heritage, she weaves narratives and characters throughout her sculptures and paintings, forging her own iconography and lexicon.

Anousha Payne (b. 1991 in Southampton, UK.) graduated from Camberwell College of Arts with a BFA in 2014. Her work has been exhibited across Europe, the UK and USA. Recent solo and group exhibitions include Isabella Ducrot, Laila Tara H, Anousha Payne, Super Super Markt, Berlin (2023); Material Art fair, Deli Gallery, Mexico City (2023); Potheads, Swivel Gallery, New York (2023); Stronger than language, Romero Paprock (2022); Thick mud, slowly oozing, Stellarhighway, New York (2022, solo); I take what is mine, Arusha Gallery, New York (2022); It is better to be cats than be loved, Tabula Rasa, London (2022); A Midsummer Nights Dream, Alkinois, Athens (2022); Tangled toes twisted ears, Public Gallery, London (2022), among others. The artist lives and works in London.