ARTIST STATEMENT
My art delves into the complexities of domestic life, exploring the juxtapositions of love and violence, power and shame, and isolation and centrality. These themes intertwine to create rich, nuanced narratives within my work. Visually, I draw inspiration from girlhood aesthetics, creating quilts and collages with feminine palettes like pinks, glitter, satin, and decorative elements. These choices form a visual language that tells stories of growth and self-discovery. My pieces often reinterpret childhood photographs on a large scale, placing the young girl at the forefront as a central figure, intentionally faceless to broaden their narrative resonance. Rooted in personal experiences within a patriarchal Indian family structure, my work explores intergenerational aspects of girlhood. It incorporates inherited textiles, family photos, and domestic objects to evoke memories and emotions. Hand stitching and embroidery, learned from my grandmother, symbolize love and connection with my lineage. These techniques were once used by women in my family to assert their presence in the domestic sphere. Through my art, I aim to elevate female narratives and shed light on overlooked stories in a patriarchal art world. By transforming personal archives, my work reclaims feminist histories from exclusion and internalized misogyny, reflecting broader urban Indian family dynamics. It explores intergenerational trauma and gender politics, resonating with experiences beyond my own. Through these explorations, I seek to challenge and expand perceptions of domesticity, memory, and identity in contemporary art.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Reevah Agarwaal is a multi-disciplinary artist from New Delhi, India, currently based in Chicago, IL. She received her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) in 2024. Through textiles and print media, her work explores girlhood, memory, and the complex dualities that exist in domestic relationships. Using repurposed found textiles that have a personal history, she creates quilts and collages that reference her childhood, relationships, and the domestic spaces she has lived in. By employing material history, intuition, and memory, she aims to reconstruct and reclaim narratives of women and girls. Her work has appeared in various shows including Stainless Gallery in New Delhi, and at Zhou B Art Center, Co-Prosperity Sphere, Purple Window Gallery, Color Club, South Asia Institute, FLXST Contemporary, Free Range, and The Martin in Chicago. She also has permanent public artwork on view in South Chicago which was funded by Chicago Public Art Group (CPAG) and South Chicago Parents and Friends. Recently she received the New Futures Award from The Other Art Fair and is currently a HATCH Resident at the Chicago Artists Coalition.
© Reevah Agarwaal