As an immigrant who was born and raised in India and who now lives in the US, as an engineer turned artist - and many other identities - I often find myself at the crossroads of these hyphenated existences that pull me constantly and ask the question - who am I, to what/whom do I owe allegiance? My art in some ways tries to answer these very questions. I create art to share stories that are present but seldom talked about. Those stories are wherein lie the connections we discover with other fellow beings; and these connections provide the grounding on who we are, who came before us, where we came from, and what it means to be present in this moment now. I strive for sincerity in my work - to celebrate humans and emotions as they are and were - with all their imperfections, eccentricities, victories and struggles. I am particularly drawn to the feminine - form, existence and consciousness. Untold stories of women are often a central theme in my work; women, in most cases, do much more than what they are granted acceptance for; and I feel the need to show the strength they carry along with their triumphs and tribulations. I draw influences from the culture of the land of my birth, upbringing, and lineage - Ranchi, Allahabad, and Kolkata (all are places in India) respectively, and having lived in the western world for 16 years, I am influenced by the western art canon as well. Immigrant stories are, more often than not, sidelined in favor of assimilation success stories; but behind each person who dared to venture beyond their native land, is a story of struggle and perseverance against odds, and of a pursuit of a dream that seemed impossible at some time. I am living that struggle today. The art of portraiture fascinates me and I am intrigued by the various forms portraiture has taken over the years till modern times. Who gets painted/sculpted and by whom, and how they are portrayed, is something I grapple with always. Much of my work is seeped in my own personal experiences. My journey is unique, and so is that of each one of us, making us seem more different than we are alike; through my art, I seek to evoke emotions and honest experiences that transcend our differences and inspire us to discover the beauty in unusual places.
