Purvai Rai

Lives and works in New York, NY, USA

Artist statement

My art practice emerged from witnessing protests in Delhi, India, prompting an inquiry into the socio-political histories shaping these events. The 2020 farmers’ protests drew me back to my ancestral village, Nawanpind Sardaran in Punjab, where engaging in farming became both an educational and a social research process. Immersing myself in agricultural practices revealed decades of lived experiences—stories of my ancestors, their role in founding the village, and its cultivation. This rooted my art practice and research in this geographic region, decoding its layered histories to better understand my present—anchored particularly in maternal lineage through my mother and grandmother. I began to think about my process and methodologies as an archeological practice exploring the region as an archive, an archaeological site, and a living museum. Using an autoethnographic lens, I explore Punjab’s layered histories—of religion, monarchy, feudalism, colonialism, democracy, and capitalism. I examine land use, ownership, architecture, ecology, crafts, and their roles in shaping socio-political landscapes that also reflect global patterns. My work considers time through crop cycles, policy shifts, and architectural evolution, emphasizing how disparate narratives intersect and coexist. My practice is grounded in social justice and place-making, centering the politics of craft, listening, and recording. Through writing and art-making, I am building a social archive that challenges...

Artwork