Arnab Choudhury

Lives and works in Baltimore, MD, USA

Artist statement

Born and brought up in Kolkata, India, I decided to travel to the United States of America to pursue a career in art. In a post-colonial third world country like mine, America is often hailed as the ideal refuge for those pursuing ambitious, non-conventional dreams. The words, "nothing will happen if you stay here. - you have to go to a country like America if you want to make it" is ingrained in every ambitious child born in my nation. During my stay in America, I have oftentimes found myself attempting to ‘fit in’ to American societal standards and expectations. Torn apart between two cultures, my works express my own struggle of adapting to the ways of the West - a place where I can never be at home through my works while also critiquing what the world considers to be 'civilized' behavior. Sadly, we post-colonial Indians look up to these standards, building our society around them. It has come to a point where one dominates an argument or shows off how 'educated' they are by stating their point in English - a language that is not our own, pride in owning products that originate in the West and follow table manners - again, in accordance to standards set by the West - in a fancy restaurant in attempts of being 'adjudged' by members of a pretentious society to be educated and civilized. My works largely deal with my own circumstances in a foreign society and my attempts of ‘fitting into’ it and simultaneously critiques, on a broader scale, how third world countries, such...

Artwork