Monica Srivastava

Lives and works in Old Bridge, NJ, USA

Artist statement

Through experiments with portraiture and engagements with ancient Indian architecture, my work explores themes of identity, ethnicity, family and relationships, and diaspora. As a child of Indian immigrants, I have always felt torn between my identity as an Indian and my identity as an American. This negotiation of belonging is the main conflict throughout my work. I will always be seen as a tourist in my own country. I am neither foreign nor assimilated. I also use Indian textile patterns as a symbol for identity, culture, family, and community by exploring what it means to be connected, to be part of the “fabric” of something. This is brought into view by looking at myself through the eyes of others. In my work, I am part artist and part performer. I am the reference for my paintings, and I make work in the context of my life and family history. I am in constant pursuit of the world of the beautiful, bringing together vibrant colors and detailed patterning, all of which are hand painted. By making this work, I am staking out my own territory and carving out a space for my existence within a South Asian, Indian-American experience.

Artwork