Seema Mathew was born in 1974 in Bangalore, India. She has been living and working in Hong Kong since 2000. She is a self-taught ink and graphite artist and a two-time cancer survivor. In 2014, after recovery from treatment, she took up painting full time to realise her life-long dream of being an artist. Early in Seema’s artistic practice, she accidentally discovered the unusual effect of chinese ink on canvas. Seema spent the next 5 years experimenting and researching this medium and developing techniques for it.
Since 2020 Seema has been working with water-soluble graphite on linen paper, adapting techniques that she invented for ink on canvas. Seema’s latest series of sculptural objects explores the juxtaposition between the two dimensional and three dimensional spaces by enveloping everyday objects with the painted linen paper.
The complexity of human relationships and the struggle of the human against the environment, particularly acute in Hong Kong’s crowded urbanscape, are underlying themes in Seema’s work. Of Indian descent, Seema has been based in Hong Kong for over two decades and her art is deeply influenced by her personal experiences and lived environment.
The red square is Seema’s signature, an adaptation of the traditional Chinese artist’s name stamp.
Seema Mathew’s works are in private collections in Hong Kong, India, Austria, UK, Singapore and Dubai.
Achievements:
- selected as an “Artist in the Spotlight” for the 2021 Arte Laguna Prize Venice, Italy
- shortlisted for 2021 UOB Hong Kong Art in Ink award
- selected to show artwork at the 2022 Biennale Chianciano in Tuscany, Italy
- winner International Art Critics Award at the 2022 Biennale Chianciano in Tuscany, Italy
Exhibition List:
2021 - group show at Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong with Art Rooftop Gallery
2021 - solo show “Origa-me” at Art Rooftop Gallery in Hong Kong
2022 - group show at Galeria Azur Madrid, Spain
2022 - group show at Art Central Hong Kong with Art Rooftop Gallery
2022 - group show at Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong with Art Rooftop Gallery
