Nilofer Suleman

Nilofer Suleman was born in Indore in 1963 and began her career as a cartographer and miniature painter. She would collect and re-create Columbus-esque old maps, creating various landscapes, rivers and mountains with intricate ink detailing.

Her works are a heady mix of inspirations ranging from Indian typography and street graphics. They bring about a coalition of styles that manage to bring the Indian Graphic Culture onto a contemporary platform. One way to explain her style is to say that it brings together the harsh realities of the life close together with the contrasting surrealism of dream sequence.

Suleman’s works are a witty and vividly vibrant illustration on India, complete with its mundane idiosyncrasies and almost comical observations. Her works have the ability to paint a particular kind of vision of India, one that is able to evoke a sense of humour hinted with a nostalgic demeanour.

Apart from painting, Nilofer also writes and curates. Her work hence serves as a platform where all these different worlds interface with both an everyday life and popular culture. For Nilofer, the narrative is essentially the base of her works. Her use of colour and characters ranging from Hindu deities to shop signs and film posters are all within the compositions of what intrinsically sets them apart.

Nilofer lives and works in Bangalore.;