Künstlergespräch Kaveri Raina (Columbus/Ohio, USA)

28. Juli, 18:30 Uhr

Kaveri Raina ist Stipendiatin im Rahmen des Künstleraustauschs zwischen Columbus/Ohio und dem Freistaat Sachsen. Sie wird über ihren Werdegang, ihre bisherige künstlerische Arbeit und Ihre künftigen Vorhaben sprechen und einen Einblick in Ihre aktuell in Dresden entstandenen Arbeiten geben.

Im folgenden englischen Text gibt sie einen kurzen Überblick zu Ihrer Person und ihrer künstlerischen Arbeit.

My artistic practice began as a reaction to an alien environment. I was born in New Delhi, but was brought to the States for a better future. The essence of my work lies in my need to resolve the often- conflicting aspects of my hybrid identity. The way in which I navigate the social, cultural, and spiritual sphere of my life rely deeply on the need to both assert myself as an individual and as part of a community.

I use vibrant colors, decorative patterns, and designs reflected in Bandez (block printing) saris. The use of red and yellow colors is considered holy, and is symbolic of a certain time, place and action in my personal life. Repetition signifies the process of my mark making, like focusing on the meaning or sound of a mantra, rather than counting its repetitions. The combination of architectural forms and organic lines create a metaphoric, tectonic view. In conceptualizing my work I have been influenced by artists and writers like Reena Banerjee, Jessica Stockholder and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak.

I use variety of textiles such as cotton (Khadi), muslin, and linen. These fabrics are commonly worn by marginalized sections of society in India. The rough texture of these materials denotes the ruggedness of the common man and is akin to the surface of my paintings. I experiment with mixing layers of turmeric, red chili powder, fennel seeds, garam masalas and basmati rice. I was introduced to these ingredients through my mother’s cooking since I was little. All these materials are important in my life, and are associated with my childhood memories, thus hold great cultural importance. The bleeding through of these materials on the cloth is what I strive for, and gives it a sense of freshness, and blends of aroma. My artistic explorations exist between two and three dimensions, and it deconstructs abstraction by uncovering layers of uncertainty, may it be personal, compositional, or material.

Kaveri Raina

www.kaveriraina.com
www.kaveriraina.tumblr.com

Der Künstleraustausch wird gefördert vom Greater Columbus Arts Council und dem Freistaat Sachsen und betreut vom Kunsthaus Raskolnikow sowie dem geh8 Kunstraum und Ateliers e.V.