” I was born in Calcutta, India, and came to Paris with my husband and son in my 20s. I’ve been living here for 14 years and working as a full-time artist for the past 8 years. In school, all I remember doing was sports, art and dance, and as I belong to a family of artists (my father owned a Sari printing factory), the constant presence of art made it easy for me to quickly become interested in the arts, which led to my enrollment in Fashion Design at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in India. I’m grateful to say that there, I was awarded a Gold Medal by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, President of India, for finishing top of my class at a National level. I decided that I wanted to continue my relationship with art, and in 2014, I was chosen to represent India at the UNESCO Art Camp in Andorra, where I created three pieces of art that are now a part of UNESCO’s permanent collection.
I pursued my intuitions with art, and gradually, I was able to manifest more opportunities. Shortly after UNESCO, I was selected to create the background art for Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister, and for his visits to Paris in both 2016 and 2018. Even though I had been living in Paris for a while at that time, I continued to keep a strong hold on my Indian roots, and it paid off! In 2019, I was generously given the GOPIO achievers award, an award given to those who have widely spread Indian culture around France. Since then, my works have been showcased in both individual and group exhibitions across Europe, India, Japan, and New York and acquired by art lovers around the world.

Today, I’m thankful for all the lessons I have learned in this lifetime which has made me who I am! “

Love and Light
Poonam Malpani Dhemre“