Collection: Sateh

Artist - Kumar Misal
Mixed Earthen Media : Paper Pulp, Dry distempers, Black poster colours

Sateh // सतह : by Kumar Misal is a series of works that are an ode to the mountain walls that contain. This work stands as both surface and statement. Drawing inspiration from the weathered walls of mountain homes, where mud plaster, lime wash, and distemper mingle in layered patina, bearing the memory of seasons, Kumar creates textures that not simply represented but are reconstituted. Created on paper made from locally sourced wood pulp, Kumar allows for the very skin of the mountain to enter the artwork. The pieces are encounter: the roughness, cracks, and fading colors hold the quiet dignity of rural architecture, where every layer tells of care, repair, and continuity. In a world that increasingly erases such surfaces in favor of smooth, sterile finishes, this work asserts the importance of the imperfect, the handmade, the elemental. There is politics in this choice. By foregrounding these textures, Kumar resists the homogenizing force of modern construction and the erasure of indigenous aesthetics. The artworks become an act of preservation, a tactile document that refuses to let these walls be forgotten. It transforms the wall from background into a protagonist, allowing it to speak of belonging, resilience, and the intimate bond between human life and earth. 

Through this process, art becomes more than representation — it becomes witness. The surface becomes a tool of declaration.