My art is informed by my cooking practice, merging a contemporary artistic investigation with a traditional sense of ritual and responsibility reflected in the domestic work of Indian women. After immigrating to the US I was estranged from the mundane and normative domestic daily activities comprising my life in India, and I began to reconsider the Hindu religious rituals that shaped, nurtured and defined me. Though mostly unseen or out-of-sight these daily routines and rituals of Indian women have a profound effect on Indian society and inspire my creativity.
I am an artist who travels backward to move forwards. As I look to my mother and mother-in-law’s daily devotional practices for inspiration, I reframe the daily practices of Indian women to better understand my own identity and purpose.