Meghana Nadella
Mirage (2021)
My work is an exploration of my Indian-American identity through pattern, texture, and motion. In each piece, line techniques and brush strokes incorporate various historical elements of both South Indian culture and Hindu religious art. I find myself constantly fluctuating between gestural effusions of color and tightly patterned lines. Very different, occasionally conflicting impulses, these two modes of working drive my process. As a metaphor for my identity, in my art I attempt to find ways to coordinate varying inclinations.
Through my interpretation of motion I apply bright, saturated colors and incorporate dimensional texture. While my subject matter changes—from South Asian Women to flowers to peacocks—I draw inspiration from various depictions of religious deities and incorporate symbolic patterns. this variation in subject matter, along with shifts in medium (acrylic, oil, ink, sculpture) brings me back to coordinating my contradictory impulses and expectations. Remaining consistent throughout my work are floral and symbolic themes, references to my memories from the motherland, and the constant desire to find clarity i my self-identity.