Rhea Mehta

Saree 1, 2022

Oil on unstretched canvas
22 x 18 inches
Part of a triptych

Saree 2, 2022

Oil on un-stretched canvas
22 x 18 inches
Part of a triptych

Saree 3, 2022

Oil on un-stretched canvas
22 x 18 inches
Part of a triptych

Untitled (In Progress), 2022

Oil on canvas
30 x 40 inches

Sabzi Mandi, 2022

Ink on paper
18 x 24 inches

Sabzi Mandi (detail), 2022

Ink on paper
18 x 24 inches

Mother tongue, 2022

Risograph prints on paper
8.5 x 11 inches
Series of 4

Trajectories of Touch, 2022

Charcoal on paper
30 x 48 inches

Artist Statement

Through two dimensional mediums such as painting, drawing and printmaking, I convey personal narratives that allow me to navigate notions of identity and history. By making use of the archive, my work acts as an outlet for untold stories and accounts concerning the feminine and the cultural identities I exist within. My experiences as a South Asian woman growing up in India and coming to live in New York have allowed me to consider entities of language and intimacy present back home from a more distanced perspective, thus igniting my research into how we express intimacy through practices of touch and various objects.

In my work, I focus on the ideas of memory, intimacy and what it means to reminisce. I find myself recalling various moments that are indicative of the relationships I’ve held with people and places in the past. This practice of reminiscence allows me to look at how intimacy is expressed within and out of familial relationships specifically from a feminine perspective, exploring how the presence of our sentiments lingers in the acts we perform for one another. Maternal traditions, practices of ornamentation, beauty and spirituality are some such moments that represent expressions of care and touch that I continue to explore in my work.

My interest lies in the distinctions of intimacy, and acts of warmth and tenderness within my cultural and social experiences. I illustrate these experiences in my work, to relive them and understand them further. Using my art as a visual tool to navigate these memories allows me to eternalise my experiences and relationships with a sense of perpetual love and appreciation.