ABOUT “What do we leave behind when we cross each frontier? Each moment seems split in two; melancholy for what was left behind and the excitement of entering a new land.” This quote by Che from the movie The Motorcycle Diaries represents the duality that confronts every individual who migrates to a new country, and is the subject of my art exploration. Drawing on my education and work experience in architecture, urban design and community planning in India and the United States, I am interested in depicting Australian landscape altered through the lens of personal memory & cultural associations. Inspired by the format of Indian miniatures and textiles I start with an underlying grid to establish the structure of the painting, moving on to slow & methodical building up of layers on the canvas alternating transparent glazes with dry brush strokes. The final part of the process incorporates the use of rhythmic patterns of decorative marks or motifs. I am fascinated by older systems of colour and ornamentation and the way they overlap between cultures, giving us a language that can be simultaneously local and universal. As the Australian landscape is re-imagined sometimes depicting Indian rituals, what part appears strange to the viewer and what remains familiar changes with their individual perceptions and associations. While traditional Indian painting informs the format of the art, the landscape and the subject are essentially Australian. The bright colours and joyous tones are homage to the unique sunlight in Australia, Sydney in particular, which bathes everything with life-enhancing luminosity. Depicting Sydney's public spaces and urban waterways, this collection is an exploration of stories and rituals in the context of diaspora and cultural translations of the hyphenated identities in Australia. I received my Bachelors degree in Architecture from Mumbai University, India, in 2000, and a Masters degree in Architecture and Urban Design from Kent State University, USA, in 2003. During my stay in the US, I was involved in teaching drawing and visual communication at graduate and undergraduate level at Kent State University and Cleveland State University. CONTACT US TODAY FOR A QUOTE!