I am Prerna Sharma, an Indian born, Qatar grown and New York City living artist. I have always been interested in art and design but like to have some structure in my work so I am majoring in Product Design and considering minoring in Fine Arts.
Most of my work is inspired by my experiences, culture and my surroundings. I take in cues from my environment and make art reflecting on the reactions I have to these stimuli. My art is not made from a specific set of mediums. I enjoy exploring and working with new instruments and appreciate the sense of wonder that surrounds it. In the past I would be less willing to experiment with materials outside of my comfort zone as I was not sure of what the final product would look like but I have begun to trust the process and thoroughly enjoy it. It is as if the piece is creating itself, not I.
This year I have learnt how to use Photoshop, Illustrator, Audition and Premiere which are extremely useful skills to have as they have been used in every single class I have taken. I also learned how to use the wood shop, laser lab, metal shop, dye lab, wet lab and graphics lab. I took up a class about analog photography because I knew nothing about that field and fell in love with it. For my final project in this class I am making a lamp using skills that I learned in my space and materiality class.
The first highlight from my freshman year is a massive painting that I made in the fall semester for my Drawing and Imaging class. The size of the canvas was 72”x36”. The prompt for the assignment was camouflage and I used a picture of my mother as the subject. The piece was made using acrylic paint and took almost a month to complete. I first had to make various versions of the piece digitally and then paint the final one by hand after a critique. It made me realize how tedious and difficult making things by hand are and made me think much more economically. I had to carry the painting to and fro between my dorm and my class which was not an easy task as the painting was almost as tall as I was and blocked my view. It also taught me the importance of managing my time effectively as I painted for 21 hours straight, the night before it was due. I am extremely proud of this piece as it is one of the biggest ones that I have ever made and required a lot of time and hard work. It is also a dedicated to my lovely mother.
The second highlight for this year is my final project for my Integrative Studio and Seminar 2 class. It is a commentary on Islamophobia in the world and the resulting neglect of the beautiful Muslim culture. As I grew up in the Middle East this is a topic that is very personal. I have called Qatar my home for over 16 years now and the wonderful people there have made it even more special for me for allowing me to do so. It angers me when I see the blindfolded and unrequited hate that they receive for merely existing. The second largest religious population in the world is being judged for the actions of a few of individuals. In my seminar paper I talk about this issue and the cultural appropriation that goes along with it whereas in my studio project I created a textile by making a stencil using the beautiful Islamic patterns as inspiration. It is an attempt to make people from all over the world and all different religious backgrounds appreciate this rich and beautiful religion.
