ARTIST STATEMENT
The square is a symmetrical, static space. Even more so in vertical positions. A metaphor of unchanging.
Playful erasure of the square, manipulation of its axis, however, undoes the unchanging. New forms, new shapes emerge with erasure, bringing new alternatives, choices, and possibilities—giving new life and breath to static space.
The images used in this series started with a square shape. They draw references from architectural forms, shapes, and decor. The main blue patterned shapes were cut from edition prints pulled from an etched plate, others are either hand drawn or painted on various substrates. By cutting parts of the square I create new shapes, arrange them in new configurations that are playful, and lend themselves to choices.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Indrani Nayar-Gall, a multidisciplinary artist. Her works are global narratives of marginalization, patriarchy, and misogyny, presented in installation, 2-D, and film media, connected to social activism. A professional printmaker, Indrani unpacks traditional codes expressed through the parallel constraints of media, transcending the barriers they impose. She earned an MFA in 1995 from Visva Bharati University with a concentration in printmaking, a graduate certificate in 2004 in Contemporary Non-toxic Printmaking from Rochester Institute of Technology and a diploma in education from University of West Indies. Her artistic career started in Barbados with teaching and studio practice. Migrating to the U.S., she taught part-time until 2012, at Western Michigan University and UNC Charlotte.
Indrani is a recipient of 2021 ASC Charlotte/Mecklenburg Creative Renewal Fellowship and Artist Support Grant. Her upcoming, present and recent notable exhibitions include LAPS 2022, Mixografia, LA; The Feminist Biennial at Women Made Gallery; NWCA, Occupy the Moment, Bridgeport Art Center; Loving Blackness, Asian Arts Initiative; India-Inked, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee; Ornate-Activate, Villa Terrace Museum, Milwaukee; Gendered, Mint Museum; Caribbean Art at the Crossroad, Perez Museum; and at Brentwood Art Exchange among other. Premiering in April of 2022, her new feature documentary String of Stories, on the illegal practice of religious servitude, has received Humanitarian award at Rhodes Island International Film Festival, and is in the process of being screened at various festivals. Her first film Devadasi_Now was released in 2017.
Indrani has exhibited nationally and internationally. Her work appears in various catalogs and other publications.
© Indrani Nayar-Gall