The artist, actor and product designer Lekha Washington was born on the 30th of April, 1986 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu She initially studied Fine Arts from the Stella Maris College in Chennai before going on to study at the National Institute of Design She enrolled for a course in Lifestyle product design before switching to Film and Video Communication She first became renowned as a sculptor in 2002 with her debut show titled ‘Exhibition A’ held at the Lalit Kala Akademi in Chennai She showcased her work in another exhibition in New Delhi in 2011 She is also a gifted actress who has played lead roles in various regional language films She seamlessly shifts between her various roles and handles them with utmost proficiencyLekha is largely a self-taught artist who began experimenting with casting in fiberglass and resin when she was just a teenager She now chooses to work with really varied and uncharacteristic mediums like helium balloons and films The artist identifies her work as being post-surrealist wherein her works often take on a whimsical air She recently started a product design company called Ajji and has two patents to her name with respect to the products that she has created She is an artist who does it all from creating installations and sculptures to making functional art One of her most popular installations is ‘This Too Shall Pass’ which portrays 5 helium-filled balloons, each partially covered with matt so that they are reminiscent of the different phases of the moon The artist lives and works in Mumbai