In an exclusive interview, Keren SouzaKohn delves into her unique upbringing under the shadow of her father, the legendary artist F.N. Souza. Growing up in a household steeped in art and creativity, Keren shares her early experiences, the profound influence of her father, and the eclectic mix of creative influences that shaped her artistic perspective.
Her candid reflections provide a rare glimpse into the personal and artistic environment that fostered her development, revealing the intersection of personal history, artistic expression, and the enduring legacy of one of India's most celebrated modern artists.
This is the birth certificate of Keren SouzaKohn, born on the 27th of March, 1956, at Queen Charlotte's Hospital in Hammersmith. Her father, Francis Newton Souza, is listed as an artist, with her mother, Liselotte Kristian Wiesmeyer, recorded under her full name and maiden name. The document details their residence at 7 Belsize Square, Hampstead, N.W.3. Certified on 23rd January 2011, this entry holds the official record of Keren's birth as registered in the district of Hammersmith.
1) How did growing up in a family deeply embedded in the art world, with your father being Francis Newton Souza, influence your early interest and development in art? What was your childhood like? Who were your creative influences apart from your father?
Keren: Firstly, I did not know any difference as a child living in blissful innocence. I had no clue that our home with paintings hanging everywhere and my dad behind a closed door listening to Beethoven, painting with the smell of turpentine, was anything different! I thought every home had one! I came to unconsciously view everything through an aesthetic lens. As a second-generation Holocaust refugee, my blessed mother Liselotte Kohn (changed to Kristian), a Czech Jew, had to escape from her home in Prague alone as a teenager, traveling on a train across Europe, leaving behind her family, whom she was never to see again as they were murdered by the Nazis. My mother learned English from scratch, then won herself a full scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), becoming a stage and film actress when she met Souza.
This dark backdrop drew us to the tragic avant-garde in art, music, and philosophy. We were nurtured by painters such as Max Beckmann, Otto Dix, George Grosz, and John Heartfield; composers Dmitri Shostakovich, Gustav Mahler, and Anton Bruckner; philosophical and psychological writers Franz Kafka, Albert Camus, Bruno Bettelheim, and Sigmund Freud; along with playwrights Eugène Ionesco, Antonin Artaud, Samuel Beckett, and Arthur Miller—even George Bernard Shaw! So, too, my imagery had a preoccupation with trauma and angst, even though my father’s beautifully bejeweled, sumptuous-colored paintings looked down at me from the walls. I focused more at that time, sadly, on the menace they projected!
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F.N. Souza and Liselotte Kohn
Francis Souza with his 2 daughters Keren & Francesca (middle)
2) Your path in art education was unconventional. How did your experiences at Ravensbourne College of Art contribute to your development as an artist?
Keren SouzaKohn, Degree Show, Ravensbourne College of Arts, 1976
Keren: So yes, when I got to art school as a teenager, hungry to learn craft skills and a toolset, I was told that the only thing to do was simply express myself and there was nothing that they could actually teach! This was the result of a revolution that had taken place in Paris in the '60s, 10 or 15 years before I arrived, unbeknownst to me. We say in England, "the French are revolting"—yet again. This time they were occupying the colleges and universities, throwing all the books out of the windows, locking the staff out, and chanting slogans of "viva la individual, viva la expression," existential followers of Sartre. I didn’t realize for many years that I hadn’t received any instructions—talk about the opposite of Velasquez, who began his apprenticeship at the tender age of 10! So the art school was obsessed with American abstract expressionism, which I came to enjoy and somehow incorporated elements of into my own figuration. But basically, it took me many years to realize that I didn’t actually know how to paint. I didn’t know how to set up a palette. I didn’t know about color theory or composition and form, so I set about going to evening classes and courses to make up for that. I do feel that if you know the rules, then you can bend them or even break them, and if you know where the box is, then you can be out of the box! But unless you know what you’re pushing against or have language, your expression is limited. The irony is you can actually be more expressive with rules!
3) As your personal style matured, you embarked on a journey of self-discovery. Can you discuss how your artistic approach evolved over time and what prompted these changes?
Keren SouzaKohn, 12 Circles and a couple of Line Leeks, 1988, Oil on primed paper
Keren: Having worked in black and white, with no colour and no joy, for many years, making images from my imagination, I experienced the life-changing event of motherhood. This opened my eyes to the world outside—with colour and joy. I began painting still life and domestic scenes.
4) Your work often features abstract figuration and explores the coexistence of divinity within the physical realm. What draws you to these themes, and how do you convey them through your art?
Keren: Becoming a mother also opened my eyes to the presence of the living almighty God and to the whole spiritual dimension, unseen kingdom that parallels this physical world. I began to explore my Jewish heritage, discovering gemmed bejewelled knowledge in the Torah and in the Zohar Kabbalah and Chabad Chassidus’s astonishing wisdoms & teachings beyond anything I had ever encountered before plus the celestial music turned my head after a life diet of Bach & Dvorak. Having grown up in a religiously disillusioned family, proud intellectual self declared atheists encountering faith was shocking unexpected surprising and gloriously astonishingly wonderful, my previous mindset giving me measurable leverage to its veracity much of which I expressed in my work The medium of paint is very sympathetic with its plasticity and translucence. Creating & manifesting vessels of kedusha holiness with good thoughts & deeds is spoken much of in Judaism. I have a fascination with beautiful vessels so they feature much in my work both literally & then more metaphorically.
Keren SouzaKohn, Expecting Solomon, 1993, Oil on primed card
5) Colour plays a significant role in your compositions. How do you choose your colour palettes, and what significance do they hold in your work?
Keren: Don’t so much read a palette of colour as a plate of spices !
6) Your recent works incorporate Hebrew letters with their numerical and mystical connotations. How do you integrate these elements into your art?
Keren: The Hebrew letters are literally the building blocks of creation! The world is being spoken into existence from nothing to something every shorter than a nanosecond! Thus, they are infinitely significant and beautiful. They also operate as numbers in Hebrew, so Alef is one, Bet is two, Gimmel is three, etc., which opens up a world of fascinating potential—Torah code extrapolations and explanations called Gematria.
7) How has your exploration of your Jewish heritage influenced your artistic practice and the themes you choose to explore?
Keren: It has given me meaning, purpose, context, and narratives. Even if referencing a Renaissance Christian picture or any other belief system, I now have a context and response.
8) How do the intricate layers of your personal and artistic identity manifest in your work? Are there specific pieces that you feel best represent this intersection?
Keren: I made a personally prophetic painting!
9) You have exhibited your work extensively in London and internationally. How have different audiences received your work, and what has been the most memorable response you’ve encountered?
Keren: I have received a tremendous amount of appreciation, joy, and purchases! The most memorable experiences have been gallery owners buying my work and giving me shows. The gallery in London gave me several shows, both group and solo, and the one in Hong Kong had many shows, selling many works. They both sold a lot of my work, for which I am so very grateful. Also, I’m very grateful, excited, and happy to report that some quite high-profile pop stars bought my work, but I will guard their identities.
10) Can you share some insights into your current projects or themes you are exploring? How do they reflect your ongoing artistic evolution?
Keren SouzaKohn, Portrait of Jane, Fellow Choir, 1997, Oil on primed paper
Keren: I am deeply interested in narratives as a beautiful metaphor and vehicle for expressing much human diversity, human journeys, and human emotions. To that end, I am fascinated by compositional pictorial space. I am interested in paintings that literally have a delineated space which characters inhabit. My evolution has gone from spontaneous, unpremeditated picture-making to—as Paul Klee said, "When I draw, I’m taking my pen for a walk"—but I think in my case it was that my pen was taking me for a walk! Now I am interested in making paintings from drawings in my sketchbooks; indeed, sketchbook practice is a whole new world for me, which I love.
11) What are your aspirations for the future, both in terms of your artistic practice and your contribution to the broader art community?
Keren: I did a lot of art teaching in London for many years, which I found very rewarding, so I wouldn’t mind perhaps doing a residency with some teaching. I’m blessed with two very creative kids, and I’d love to creatively collaborate with them sometime. I’d also love to make more paintings and more collages.
