Previta Karthigesu (b.1994, Malaysia) is a multidisciplinary artist based in Bristol, United Kingdom. Working primarily with paper, ink, thread, charcoal and found materials, her practice explores memory, migration and the complexities of belonging through intimate, process-led works.
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Growing up in Malaysia with South Indian ancestry, I became aware quite early that identity could change depending on where you are and how you are seen. Moving to Britain did not make these questions disappear. If anything, living here made me more aware of them. I began thinking about what belonging means, and why it can sometimes feel conditional. Being Malaysian with Indian heritage, I see my identity as an amalgamation of everything I have been taught, everything I have learnt, and everything I am yet to experience.
My work comes from this experience of being between places, cultures and histories. I am interested in how much of who we are comes from what we inherit, what we remember and what we carry with us. I don't always want to explain these things directly in the work. Instead, I often let the materials hold them.
Paper has become an important material in my practice because of its connection to memory. It can be folded, torn, marked, written on and carried. Even when a fold is opened, it leaves a trace. Thread can hold things together, but it can also leave a wound. Ink sinks into paper and becomes difficult to remove. Charcoal can record a gesture, but just as easily erase one. These qualities are part of why I keep returning to these materials.
I am drawn to ordinary things because they already have lives of their own. A piece of paper might once have been a letter, a recipe, a photograph or a document. A thread can connect one thing to another. A mark can hold evidence of someone's hand and the time spent making it. I am interested in these small traces and what they can hold.
Conversation is also a crucial part of my practice. I often begin with something someone has told me — a family story, a memory or an everyday experience. I am less interested in representing the person directly than in what remains after the conversation: a feeling, a gesture, an object or a trace.
Making is often slow and repetitive for me. Folding, stitching, cutting, layering and drawing allow things to build up gradually. The process gives me time to think about what is being remembered, what is being lost, and what changes as something is carried from one place to another.
I don't think of belonging as having one fixed answer. It can change with time, place and experience. My work is part of my own attempt to understand that, while leaving space for other people to bring their own memories, histories and experiences into the work.
Curated Exhibition
2020 - MEMENTO - Digital Exhibition
2021 - Digital Arts Exhibition - An Online Showcase
Awards & Prize
2014 - Distinction Award Bursary - Bath Spa University
2015 - Student Innovation and Enterprise Award - Bath Spa University
2016 - Tote Bag Design Competition Winner - Bath Spa University
2017 - First Class Honours Award - Bath Spa University
Exhibitions
2014 - Blue The Exhibition - Walcot Chapel, Bristol, United Kingdom
2014 - Bath Fringe Arts Festival - Bath, United Kingdom
2015 - CAP Exhibition - Dartmouth Avenue, Bath, United Kingdom
2016 - The Rooster Shed - Devonshire Arms Pub, Devon, United Kingdom
2017 - Tennis Court Exhibition - Sion Hill Gallery, Bath, United Kingdom
2017 - BA Fine Art/Contemporary Arts Degree Show - Bath Spa University, Bath, United Kingdom
2017 - Stock - OXO Bargehouse South Bank Street, London, United Kingdom
2017 - Art Galleria - 54th Street, Yangon, Myanmar
2018 - Into The Wild - Group Exhibition, KL, Malaysia
2019 - The School - Open Show, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
2020 - Virtue(al) - Online Virtual Exhibition by Artomovement, KL, Malaysia
2020 - ‘Fight COVID -19’ Exhibition - ASEDAS, ASEAN Countries
2020 - ‘New Normal” Online Art Exhibition - Zhan Art Gallery, KL, Malaysia
2020 - ‘Synergy” (DigiFest'20) The 7th Edition by Durban University of Technology's Art & Design Festival
Nomination & Shortlists
2017 - Young Sculpture Prize Award - Kenneth Armitage Foundation (Nominee), United Kingdom
2020 - UOB Painting Of The Year Award (Finalist) - South East Asia
Exposures & Workshops
2018 - Art Annex - Art School - Founder and Facilitator
2019 - Art Tutoring & Workshop at Phnom Penh Centre - Phnom Penh, Cambodia
2020 - Markajart.org Collective Online - Istanbul, Turkey
2020 - ASEDAS Art Collective Member & Speaker Event, Indonesia & Malaysia
2021 - Intuitive Painting - A Mindfulness Workshop, KL, Malaysia
2022 - 'Shout About Your Art!' - An Online Art Sharing Session, Bristol, UK & KL, Malaysia
2022 - Creative Youth Network - Group Crit and Artist Branding, Bristol, UK
2022 - Art Workshop with 'Art in Motion' Group at Arnolfini - Bristol, UK
2023 - Team Art Talks, Arnolfini - A sharing session on the Threads Exhibition, Bristol, UK
2024 - Gofal Cymru Care Home - Mural Art Project (Memory Tree) - Cardiff, UK
2026 - UOB Painting of the Year - Participant
Publication Artwork Design
2020 - Multiverse: Volume I - Poems Lucy Reef
2024 - An Anthology of Poems by Moldovan Radu
Media Reviews & Articles - Exhibitions
2020 - Virtu(al) by Artomovement - Virtual Exhibition on The Malaysian Reserve News (link)
2020 - ASEDAS - 'Fight Covid' Exhibition - Asean Digital Art Society by Bernama Tinta Minda & Tribun Jabar
2020 - Telum Media PR Article on 'Our Memento' Exhibition Opening
2021 - Cendana - Cultural Economy Development Agency: Lensa Seni Review on 'Our Memento' Digital Exhibition by Lim Jack Kin
2021 - Varnam Malaysia - Malaysia Digital Media Platform For Malaysia Indian Community - Article Review / PR on 'Our Memento' Digital Exhibition
2021 - Cendana - Cultural Economy Development Agency: Lensa Seni Review on 'Our Memento' Digital Exhibition by Hamidah Abd Rahman