Paul Nataraj - biography
Paul Nataraj works with sound, text and recorded archive materials to explore the relationships between memory and sound, with a focus on stories of migration, diaspora and postcolonial identity. Paul is interested in the legacy of tensions between communities after moments of national fractures. Beginning with ethnographic interviews and library research, his performances and installations examine the deep entanglements of a postcolonial mixed-race experience, drawing on his own lived experience.
Paul is one of two artists selected from the North of England to take part in Contested Desires: Constructed Dialogues. They will join twenty artists selected from ten countries who are taking part in the programme that brings together artists, cultural organisations, and communities to delve into the complexities of our colonial legacy. From Italy to Ghana, Tunisia to Chile, CDCD discovers the connections between our past and present, fostering dialogue and understanding across diverse perspectives. Over the next two years the artists will explore the themes of the programme through research and practice across international residencies, exhibitions and knowledge exchange
Funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, the programme consists of 19 global partners aiming to unravel the influence of our shared colonial past on cultural identities today.
Paul was part of Jerwood Survey III, the major touring exhibition (2024-25), and is a published contributor in the book ‘Sonic Faction: Audio Essay as Medium and Method’ (2024) and recently released the tape work 'Soil, Leaf, Root' on Collapsing Drums records (2025).
Image credit: Jade-K-Vowles
Paul is one of two artists selected from the North of England to take part in Contested Desires: Constructed Dialogues. They will join twenty artists selected from ten countries who are taking part in the programme that brings together artists, cultural organisations, and communities to delve into the complexities of our colonial legacy. From Italy to Ghana, Tunisia to Chile, CDCD discovers the connections between our past and present, fostering dialogue and understanding across diverse perspectives. Over the next two years the artists will explore the themes of the programme through research and practice across international residencies, exhibitions and knowledge exchange
Funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, the programme consists of 19 global partners aiming to unravel the influence of our shared colonial past on cultural identities today.
Paul was part of Jerwood Survey III, the major touring exhibition (2024-25), and is a published contributor in the book ‘Sonic Faction: Audio Essay as Medium and Method’ (2024) and recently released the tape work 'Soil, Leaf, Root' on Collapsing Drums records (2025).
Image credit: Jade-K-Vowles
