Collection: Malti B Lee

Malti B Lee is a British Indian contemporary artist whose work captures the emotional textures of place, memory, and transformation. Based in Austin, Texas, Malti brings a global sensibility to her painting practice — shaped by a life that’s taken her across more than 50 countries and careers as varied as biophysics and management consulting. Her art is a vibrant intersection of precision and spontaneity: architectural linework dances across expressive floral fields, while layered acrylics echo the quiet drama of cities both remembered and imagined. Drawing from her lived experiences in London, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul, and beyond, Malti’s paintings explore how we carry pieces of the places we love — not just visually, but emotionally.

Before she was an artist, Malti earned her PhD in Biophysics from University College London and worked as a consultant helping companies navigate complex challenges across Europe, Asia, and North America. Her transition to full-time artist in 2022 wasn’t a pivot so much as a homecoming — a return to the creative curiosity that had always been quietly working in the background. That scientific training shows up in the detail and discipline of her compositions, but it’s balanced by a bold use of color and form that reflects her personal journey of rediscovery.

Each of Malti’s series — from Remnants of Forgotten Histories to Lost in Colour — tells a story through the layering of contrast: city and garden, structure and bloom, nostalgia and clarity. Her work has been exhibited throughout California and Texas, and she has completed public and private commissions including for the NHL’s San Jose Sharks and the City of San Ramon. In 2024, she was selected as a resident artist for the Downtown Austin Space Activation (DASA) program, bringing her unique visual storytelling into the public realm.

Outside the studio, Malti is fluent in Spanish, working on her Korean, and just as comfortable hiking mountain trails as she is dancing salsa or playing the piano. Her curiosity spills into every part of life — into the way she cooks, the books she reads, and the careful way she paints light into stone. Whether she’s rendering the quiet majesty of ancient cities or a single blooming stem, Malti’s work asks us to slow down, pay attention, and see beauty in the spaces in between.