Born in a traditional Chitragar family, Santhoshkumar is putting all of his efforts into reviving and continuing Kinnal art, a 500-year old artform originating in Koppal. Santhosh has managed to create jobs for traditional Kinnal artists in the town. He is also training the descendents of Kinnal families, thereby keeping the artform alive. His recent Kinnal installation, named "Angel" at the Bengaluru International Airport, Terminal 2, received widespread acclaim. He also won the Karnataka Shilpakala Academy Award for his sculpture named Rathi Manmatha.