We both moved to the Netherlands from India, on very different paths. Sukanya studies the brain as a neuroscientist. Pallavi works on machines and structures as a mechanical engineer. Outside work, we kept wanting the same thing: time away from screens, our hands in paint, and something real to show for it.
We became close friends over late-night cooking, shared traditions and a similar way of seeing art. Life here moved fast, and we wanted a way to slow down. P&S Collective grew out of that: a place to be freely creative, to use all five senses, and to build a local community that makes things and tells stories together.
Where it began: two friends, one slow afternoon.
Co-founder, artist and neuroscientist
By day, a neuroscience PhD researcher studying the brain. By night, a self-taught artist who works in many materials.
Sukanya works in charcoal, oils, acrylics and fine ink pens. Her own practice, Scattered Scribbles, is about telling stories: surreal abstract pieces, impressionist textures, and portraits that look for the story in a face. She loves hands-on making, and leads the collective's interior design and larger furniture projects.
Co-founder, artist and engineer
By day, a mechanical engineer improving physical systems. By night, an artist who works with fabric and colour.
Pallavi is a self-taught artist. She mostly paints in acrylics and is now learning oil painting. She leads the collective's sustainability work, drawing on her knowledge of natural fabric dyeing, and turns worn-out denim, old tote bags, scrap canvas and weathered shoes into art you can wear.
“The collective keeps growing. These folk art workshops are our first chapter.”
In the long run, we want to do more than workshops. We hope to open a creative space of our own in the Netherlands, where art and food sit side by side. We imagine home-cooked menus inspired by regional art histories, with guest storytellers, live musicians and independent makers who care about sustainable design. Our small home evenings, by invitation, are the first step towards it.