Artist Statement

I am interested in the cross-cultural exploration of spirituality and ethnography, specifically stories, memories and cultural practices drawn from domestic spaces and learned through matrilineal ties. Race, religion, culture and the marginalized position of women are things I became acutely aware of from an early age.

Geometry, colour intensity and fine line work form the bedrock of my artistic language.

My childhood exposure to Maori and Aboriginal art in New Zealand and Australia and my collaboration as an adult with textile and folk artists in India shaped and influenced my passion for traditional and indigenous art forms.

My visual language has developed over time into a deeply personal dialogue, a narrative that is based in part on memory, and steeped in historic and cultural symbolism.

Experiencing the covid-19 pandemic has had a profound influence on how I think about and make my work. The imposed slowness and stillness of quarantine which at first felt stifling and oppressive gave way to an acute focus on process and attention to the most basic foundations of my painting practice.

I reverted to centuries old painting techniques of grinding pigments with gum Arabic and honey to make paint, burnishing paper and hand milling gold leaf. Within this ritualistic painting process I find myself reclaiming my South Asian identity and hold close my family’s maker traditions. This current work requires attention and time: the colors are intense and saturated, the forms are simple but powerful.

The work is a narrative and visual thread through time, memory, family and personal cultural reclamation.