On Display October 4 to December 14, 2019
As a variety of colors and forms unite to generate beautiful artworks, so do five South Asian American women, to form an artistic community that supports one another. Each artist’s unique approach embodies personal participation in the rich, intergenerational culture of the South Asian Diaspora.
Meena Matai grew up in Mumbai, India among a family of engineers and educators. Her practice of art has been a constant throughout her life. She is employed as an electrical engineer and balances her time between her career, raising children, making art, and being and educator. Her approach to art is inspired through collaboration with the communities in her life and the process of raising her daughter so far away from the country that she grew up in. She uses vibrant color in her art to inspire the viewers to be positive, to cooperate, and to nurture their communities.
Neelu Amar grew up in Central India and started painting in kindergarten, since then art has been her passion in life. She has a Bachelors and Masters in Fine arts from Vikram University in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, India; and Associate degree in Visual Communication from Austin Community College. After a career as a graphic designer, she is now a full time artist, teaches art to people of all ages, and is the assistant director of a preschool. She also volunteers as an artist mentor to people with special needs. Her artistic style is characterized by bright and bold color relationships, which she used to express human emotions. Her practice is similar to a meditative ritual that is not restricted by the idea of a final product. She's currently lives in Austin with her husband, two kids and dog.
Shikha Joshi was born and raised in New Delhi, India. She earned a Bachelors in Psychology from Delhi University. Two years later she moved to Atlanta, Georgia where she learned pottery at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center under the direction of Glenn Dair. She became immersed in the joy of making pots and learning she subtle techniques of throwing on the wheel. In 2003 she established her home studio in Round Rock TX. She is drawn to the Japanese aesthetic of “Wabi Sabi”, or beauty in imperfection. She endeavors to create pots with the silent, austere beauty and simplicity of the natural world and instill the users of her pieces with a feeling of meditative peace.
Meena Matocha was born in Texas to Indian immigrant parents. She grew up in Anderson Mill, attending Westwood High school. In 2000 she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art, focus on painting and drawing, from The University of Texas at Austin. She lived in XinJiang, China for 7 years while she worked with a local church to improve Christian-Muslim-Secular community relationships. Meena currently resides in Central Texas where she works as a full time artist, and lives with her husband and seven year old son. She combines charcoal, ashes, soil, acrylic and wax to create images that both abstract and figurative. Her art explores the space between grief and joy, and the place where heaven and earth converge.
Monica Mohnot grew up in Kolkata, India and now lives in Austin, Texas. She is a painter inspired by everything in nature: shapes, patterns, textures, sounds and colors. The relationship between the simplicity of the physical organic world and complexity of life and nature is a theme in her art. She aims to evoke emotion through her choices of colors and movement. Her work hints at a mysterious relationship between a deep inner reality and the extensive universe. She is currently studying for her Bachelor of Fine Arts in San Marcos, TX. When not making paintings or studying, she enjoys spending time with her family.