I was amazed with the architecture at the Art Gallery as well as it’s captivating art. It was nice to see the exhibit featured South Asian art, a nice representation of minorities. I also liked how there was 7 different Indian languages on the excerpts from each artist. It was nice to be able to connect to the Punjabi written one and the art inside the exhibition.
The grief art really spoke to me as I looked closely at each component, grief, loneliness and living. It reminded me of my own grief journey. The first ceramic figure, showed the girl crying with her hands in her hair almost like pulling it. Her body is cut in half from her waist to her legs. I feel like this represents how people grieving feel when their loved ones pass away. I felt like my body was out of place and I always wanted to scream. The second ceramic figure shows how as time goes on, you may feel empty as you flow through the months and years. The third figure shows the tears bottled up in a vase with a flower coming out of it. This spoke to me as I see it representing resilience and empowerment of honoring your loved ones.
I was able to connect with this work of art as it allowed me to reflect on my own grief experience. I shared it with a friend who had recently lost her father. She also felt moved by these ceramic figures. When I reflect on my grief, I feel that it continues to evolve as months and years go by. I will always feel a sense of emptiness in my heart but as the years keep going by, I feel that I am getting stronger and I’m able to talk more about what happened to my brother. I also feel that I am able to honor him by leading with my heart and connecting with others the way he did so passionately.
I enjoyed the post apocalyptic world art as it was quite unique and endearing. There was so much quality in each of the designs. A lot to interpret as each piece connected to the next. I liked how we engaged in a art activity afterwards where we were able to create our own post apocalyptic world and draw what that would look like. It was nice to be able to connect to the art and use our creative abilities to create something of our own.
I also really like the acrylic painting of her mom by Keerat Kaur below. This painting described things that I felt connected to. The mom is wearing a traditional Indian suit which my mom often wears to events or the temple. The mom in the picture is also doing some cross stitching which is a common art practice in India. Her hands show that she works hard in the fields. They look rough and strong. This reminded me of how hard my mom works, cooking cleaning and helping others. She is always keeping herself busy. This artwork truly paints a picture of how mothers are the backbone to families. They take on everyone’s pain only to give others love and support.
This painting is inspired by the legacy of Mohamed Bouazizi who self-immolated in response to having his livelihood confiscated by the municipal government officials. His actions incited the Arab-Spring movement. The orange is on fire for how Arab peoples livelihood’s were on fire. I read about this as I was curious what happened. It is so devastating to hear how Mohamed’s fruit scale and belonging were taken by the local authorities just because he had not money to bribe them so he could continue making a living with this fruit stand. His story shows the injustice in third world countries and how there is no justice.
