Abundant Art is a cross-arts platform celebrating intercultural creative practice among diverse communities.
At Abundant Art, we weave stories, nurture skills, and celebrate the rich tapestry of diverse artistic expressions. We are a multifaceted initiative that aims to create, collaborate and amplify works of artists from diverse communities.
Our primary focus is to provide opportunities for skill development, practice and enhanced creative experience and expression, in a supportive environment for the next generation of artists and art writers. By highlighting diverse narratives, we strive to make a difference by fostering an inclusive and accessible creative platform.
Abundant Art was founded in 2017 with a vision to create a strong art and culture base for communities and young people, creating multicultural awareness of artistic collaboration and cultural heritage. Through our Art-zine, we continue to bring a thriving multi-faceted cultural and entertainment scene to our audience.
We aim to rediscover and preserve artistic heritage, and reconnect people with lost and forgotten arts heritage. Our projects encourage understanding heritage in a contemporary context by identifying with living experiences. To achieve this, we have recently expanded into film and documentary making, as we believe storytelling through diverse creative forms truly makes a difference in people’s lives.
In 2018 Abundant Art branched out to fine arts and launched Abundant Art gallery – an online curated art gallery focusing on promoting contemporary art. We started by producing original artworks (paintings and sculptures) through art camps in India and promoting them through our online gallery as well as curated physical exhibitions to collectors and art lovers . We are currently working on expanding this initiative through collaborations with local artists.
Abundant Art Gallery supports Abundant Art in it’s educational projects, delivering work experience and internship programmes in the further education sector focussed on fine arts and digital arts. We nurture, inspire and support talent from diverse communities, backgrounds, and demographics through skill development and creating new opportunities.
Protima started Abundant Art following her creative passion to make a humble contribution to the arts community, particularly amongst young creatives and emerging artists.
Protima is the editor of Abundant Art's e-mag and leads the organisation's programmes. She conceptualises and directs multi-faceted arts projects and documentary films for Abundant Art. Protima says ‘I believe art brings meaningful purpose to life and creates positive thinking. Through Abundant Art, we aim to promote the arts, support artistic passion, nurture creative skills and create opportunities for young emerging artists. We are open to collaborations and appreciate that new ideas can be the potential starting points leading to life changing experiences.'
Protima is a trained dancer and dance teacher. She continues her work as a performer, choreographer, and teacher and is a guest lecturer at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance since 2018. She has a degree in English literature and is a post-graduate in Mass Communications and Journalism.
Roger's association with Abundant Art began in 2018 as an oral history and video recording trainer as part of our Heritage Project supported by the National Heritage Lottery Fund. He was then invited to contribute as an editor of the film 'A Meeting of Cultures' produced by Abundant Art as a culmination of the same heritage project that ran for two years. Roger then went on to edit Abundant Art's second documentary film 'Moving Forward Looking Back #2020. Currently Roger supports Abundant Art in an advisory role as a non executive board member.
Roger is an accredited Oral History Society trainer and has taught many tailored introductory courses, as well as courses in filming oral histories and digital sound editing.
Roger began recording people’s memories in 1974, using the collected reminiscences as the source for local books. He co-founded Living Archive Milton Keynes (www.livingarchive.org.uk) and was its General Manager from 1992 to 2002 and is currently its Chairman. Living Archive’s basic premise is that everybody has a story to tell. Such stories and other primary source materials have inspired multifarious high-quality artistic, creative, and educational activities including large-scale musical documentary plays, books, exhibitions, and websites. Over the last few years, he has been producing video documentaries, as well as helping others do the same.
Amy is a Curator and Creative Producer whose practice is centred around socially-engaged arts projects. Her current research is focused on curatorial methods for exhibiting artworks outside of the gallery as a means of resisting the commerciality of the art world and instead, meaningfully engaging with communities. In particular, she is interested in the connection between art and nature and the powerful effects on well-being they both have. Previously she has worked with British Art Show 8, NHS England and Folkestone Triennial. Most recently, she co-curated Abundant Art's exhibition 'Together' - the culmination of an important project in collaboration with Westminster Kingsway College exploring young people's perspectives on current socio-political issues.
Amy is a Curator and Creative Producer whose practice is centred around community-led arts projects. Her current research is focused on curatorial methods for exhibiting artworks outside. Amy has a keen interest in the arts and recently completed an MA in Curating and Collections at Chelsea College of Arts, UAL.
Florence is a freelance writer for Abundant Art, based in South East London. She holds a degree in English Literature from the University of Bristol and completed an Art Foundation at Camberwell College of Arts, combining her interests in both disciplines through her writing. Florence has contributed to a range of curatorial projects, including her work at The Stradling Collection in Bristol and The Morley Gallery in London. Through her work, she explores how creativity influences and connects communities and places.
My passion for art began with my love of performance and I feel very lucky to have grown up in London where access to inspiration and new ideas has been so readily available. Moving to Bristol for my degree in Theatre and English Literature exposed me to more immediate forms of experimental performance and art which has permanently broadened my appetite. Since returning home, I am searching to develop my skills as a writer and producer and excited to find my place amongst this ever-evolving industry.
Chris is currently pursuing a BA in painting at Camberwell College of Arts, UAL. With a broad range of interests that inform his practice, Chris enjoys all kinds of creative expression and gaining new perspectives derived from personal experience of art. As part of a generation who’s formative years coincided with the rise of social media, he uses art making as a means to understand the social and personal effects of technology on himself and his peers.
Emma Carys is a volunteer writer for Abundant Art with interests in -but not exclusive to- contemporary art, film and fashion. She is a philosophy student who enjoys diving into the meaning behind the works of the creative industry.
Rim is an aspiring artist and writer living in London. She studied at the University of Reading, graduating with a bachelor degree in fine art and creative writing.
Her writing consists of short stories, as well as poetry. Her poems explore the construction of female identity, taking inspiration from her own experiences as well as the women that surround her.
Within her art, she primarily uses acrylic paint, colouring pencils, as well as oil and soft pastels. Much like her writing, the discussion of gender seeps into her work, with her degree show focusing on the ways in which capitalism sees women as profitable through femininity as a consumer tactic.
Devika is currently living and working in London, by profession, and trades as an artist and snake oil salesperson. Devika graduated in September 2022 with a research MFA at Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford.
Eva Mateos Rodriguez is an eclectic artist specialising in acting, writing and songwriting, though she is also passionate about photography, dance and fine arts. She has been part of several Performances, Responses and Exhibitions - her work mainly focused on gender roles and society's impact in them, as well as the aim for a curated aesthetic. Concentrating on film, she bases her own life experiences and surroundings to create something the audience can relate to and draw upon in their daily life.
Born and raised in Spain, Eva moved to London to study BA Acting and Performance at the University of Arts London and is now a student of MA Creative Writing at Birkbeck University.
Teodora is a recent A-level graduate, having studied Art History, Drama, Philosophy and English Literature. Being both a performer and an avid writer, she enjoys attending a range of entertainment, including theatre performances and art exhibitions. Whilst currently on a gap year, this September, she intends on pursuing her interests in the artistic field, attending the University of Edinburgh to study History of Art and English Literature.
Indulging in various art forms, she has enjoyed understanding how these overlap: appreciating how art acts as a means to celebrate artists’ inspirations and influences and ultimately share individuals’ perspectives on the diverse world that surrounds us. Through her writing, she seeks to discover works that stretch and challenge her artistic scope, fostering a deeper connection with the creative community, expanding her empathy for the experiences of others.
Since studying History of Art at The University of Oxford Michela has continued to pursue her interests in art and culture. She particularly enjoys considering how contemporary and historical art forms are presented to the wider public through exhibitions and viewings at art institutions. Michela’s favourite mediums include photography, film, painting and drawing, and she is always excited to learn about new art.
Lucy’s passion for the arts began with drawing and painting at a young age, and developed later on into a love of landscape painting and a degree in Art History, with a focus on Modernism and gender. Lucy has grown to love literature and acting in particular, and her experiences acting at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival have been very formative, convincing her that performance can be an essential tool for communication and connection, as well as of course being a valuable source of entertainment.
Ridha is a volunteer writer for Abundant Art. She recently graduated with a BA in History and Politics from Queen Mary - University of London. Growing up in and around London, Ridha has always been intrigued by London’s brilliantly diverse art scene.
Studying History and Politics, Ridha has learnt how art and culture plays a vital role in society. Appreciating its beauty and importance, she is keen to experience and contribute to the art scene to her fullest. As a passionate writer who is eager to develop her skills, Ridha is determined to immerse herself in the wonderful world of art.
Julia Nelson was the Marketing and Operations Executive at Abundant Art and currently reviews arts events. Jules is a creative and innovative content, PR, and digital marketing professional with experience in online content creation, public relations, and digital marketing. She has a degree in Sociology from Goldsmiths College, University of London and is a postgraduate in Fashion and Lifestyle Journalism from the University of Arts London. She has proven success creating and accelerating brand growth and developing businesses in creative industries. She has managed creative industries correspondence for the government Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and has contributed arts and lifestyle content in the Saturday and Sunday Express magazines, The Ecologist, ONIN London, and Ethics Girls. Jules is passionate about creativity and the arts and is dedicated to making meaningful changes to the creative and cultural community in the UK.
Cian Kinsella is a Classics teacher and part-time pub quizmaster living in London who is primarily interested in music but is also interested in theatre, literature, and visual arts.
He is particularly intrigued by the relationship between art, criticism, and the capital forces always at play. Who decides what we like? How do they construct widely held beliefs about what is good? These are two of the questions Cian looks to address.
Mia is currently finishing up her Art Direction degree at the University of the Arts London. Coming from an Italian-American background and living in both countries allowed her to explore her interests in traveling, cooking and the arts. Her passion for sustainability has led her to explore the intersectionality between the environment and creative industries.
Her current project is an artisanal dairy-free cheese and biodynamic wine pairing platform called Legless. Legless concentrates on educating the consumer on the environment and where our food comes from. Mia is passionate about low intervention agriculture and how our food choices impact nature. Living in East London she's excited to experience the local food, art and music scene.
Lian is a MA Global Media and Communications student at SOAS and a volunteer writer for Abundant Art. Lian has written for a number of different publications, mostly about music, culture and film and she is enthusiastic about expressing her passion for creating art and media. Growing up in London, she has been constantly inspired by the bustling city. Shs began writing for publications in her early teenage years, starting out writing about music as well as short poems, Studying Politics and Media at UEA for her undergraduate degree, she learnt the importance of how these disciplines are interlinked, how they impact and affect each other in ways that greatly affect society. Ultimately, this degree has enabled her to become a more insightful writer.
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance invited Abundant Art in 2018 and 2022 to take collaborate in their BA2 Historical Project-Dance Legends programme, Protima Chatterjee, along with Tanusree Shankar delivered an intensive programme on Uday Shankar, where the students learned the Shankar Technique and the repertories ‘Sacred Myths’ 2018 and "Unfettered Mind’-2022 that were staged at the end of the course at the Laban Theatre.
In the Dance Legends project, Year 2 students on the BA (Hons) Contemporary Dance programme are immersed in an intensive period of dance training and study which focuses on work created by a choreographer who has made an important contribution to the development of dance in the 20th and 21st centuries. As well as being involved in the restaging of the choreography, students learn about the historical, social, artistic and cultural contexts in which the work was originally created. In addition, students participate in technique classes and theory classes which are designed to equip them with the technical skills and artistic understanding necessary to meet the demands of the piece. The result is a learning experience which integrates theory and practice, and which exposes students both physically and intellectually to dance works of historical and cultural significance.
City University of London, Queen Mary University of London & Goldsmiths University:
We are pleased to collaborate with the Universities on their exciting Micro-Placements/Internship Programmes which provide us with the opportunity to engage with talented and proactive students and offer opportunities to gain professional experience through short-term career- exploration placements. We are pleased to be on board to support students into developing their employability skills through tangible projects or deliverables of value to our organisation. We feel privileged to create opportunities for students at the early stages of their career and establishing long-lasting links for future employment.
We thank The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England for their generous support.
Piali Ray is Director of 'SAMPAD', a leading national agency for the development of South Asian arts, based in Birmingham. Originating from Bengal, India she has been a performer, teacher, and choreographer in the UK since 1982, excelling in these fields and touring extensively in India, the UK, and internationally.
Piali has had many notable achievements. She was awarded an OBE in 2002, an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Central England in 2006, Outstanding Business Person of the Year by Birmingham Chamber of Commerce in 2009.
In 2018 Piali became a part of Abundant Art’s Heritage Project on the dance partnership of Uday Shankar and Anna Pavlova as a mentor. She has played a key role through the delivery of the project over two years to its completion in the final product, the film ‘A Meeting of Cultures’. Piali brought in her valuable experience of working in the multicultural scene in the UK guiding the project through its various milestones and events.