Project Instructions
This project builds on a research proposal created for Bridge 3. Consequently the Seminar component of Bridge 4 consists of an outline of a research paper that lays out the arc of an argument about a chosen theme, an annotated bibliography of primary and secondary sources to be used in the paper and an artist’s statement contextualising our studio project that draws upon the research. The Studio component consisted of creating the research-informed work itself.
Final Work + Artist’s Statement
Here is a link to high-res images on GDrive.
In Two Minds
May 2021
Acrylic paint, tracing paper, drawing pen and embroidery on canvas
45 x 59.5 cm
In Two Minds is a visual representation of my personal experiences as an immigrant from India living in Singapore. I, along with the rest of my family relocated to Singapore when I was four years old, and ever since then, I have been confronted with the dilemma of where I belong and how to define my identity to others. This is a struggle that is delineated by the artists Roya Ebtehaj, Bouchra Khalili, and Hayv Kahraman in their own practices (albeit the latter two explore its manifestation in more extreme forms), consequently my research into their depictions of the themes of immigration and its associated emotional conflicts greatly inspired my piece. Similar to each of their works, In Two Minds makes significant use of symbolic elements. Firstly, the composition of square blocks is a reference to the inherent compartmentalisation of the feelings outlined below that I personally experience. The dualities of the national flowers of Singapore and India represent a conflicted cultural identity, whereas the symbols of currency allude to the idea of an exchange rate – having to endure some form of loss (particularly in terms of citizenship) to belong to one country or the other. Additionally, the symbols derived from the flags of Singapore and India highlight a lack of patriotism that is a result of an ambivalent sense of identity. The outlines on tracing paper of my parents in their youth portrays the loss that has occurred in their lives and has carried down to my sister and I, i.e. we have lost access to the people and places that we would have known had we not immigrated. Essentially, this element underscores the opportunity cost of leaving behind one country for another. Finally, the partially legible writing in the centre of the composition is Hindi script reading “home is where the heart is,” and serves to portray both a loss of native language but also my eventual acceptance of the fact that such insecurity will always be integral to the immigrant identity.
Planning
Ideation and planning notes
Drafts for colour layout and testing different alignments of the symbols I used in my final work
Testing stamps / stamp designs
Process
The canvas I used was quite old so prior to drawing the layout shown above, I primed the canvas in a layer of white acrylic paint.
Testing colours to use in the final work.
After taping down the borders of each square, I painted them in three layers of my chosen shades of red, green, and blue paint.
The first step in the process of creating the stamps is to draw them out on the lino.
I then cut out the stamps.
Stamp 2
Stamp 3
Finally I began building the elements on the canvas.
Seminar Links
Bridge Project 3 Part I – Artist Research
Bridge Project 3 Part II – Research Project Proposal
Work from:
Integrative Studio 2 – Visual Culture with Professor Amy Finkel
Integrative Seminar 2 – Visual Culture with Professor Allan Doyle
