Born in 1969, she is a younger generation Mithila artist who has retained the Mithila paintings’ distinctive styles and conventions while addressing new subjects. Mithila or Madhubani painting is an ancient art form, traditionally practised by women in the Mithila region of Bihar in northern India and Nepal. This art form was primarily was used for painting on the walls of dwellings. The works are characterised by intricate drawing, geometric patterns and elaborate symbolism.

In her work, Pushpa Kumari has focused on themes such as female infanticide and women’s rights, as well as theme of local epics and stories. She was raised in the village of Madhubani and was taught by her grandmother, the acclaimed Mithila artist Mahasundari Devi.

Pushpa Kumari has been invited to exhibit internationally. In 2016 her work was included in the prestigious Eighth Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art at Queensland Art Galley / Gallery of Modern Art. She has also participated in several museum exhibitions in the United Kingdom, including “Telling Tales”, a 2013 show at the National Museums Liverpool. It is no wonder that her style of painting impressed the Public Art Fund, a non-profit in the United States. She was among the 20 artists whose work is currently being displayed at JCDecaux bus shelters in New York, Chicago and Boston.

It is essential to note that the remarkable innovations seen in Kumari’s art have nothing whatsoever to do with outside influencers. She is a woman who has been on a deep and profound artistic journey since she was a child. Her drawings express the urgency of a visionary determined to express ideas on the page, but always on her own terms. Upending convention, Kumari is driven to show that an artist informed by heritage can and should have a voice in contemporary society. She is keenly aware of what she has to offer as an observer of the world she inhabits.