Artist Statement

Everyday life is the foundation of my art. I constantly observe and think about myself, my surroundings, and the traditions that shape my actions. I draw from maps, personal history, places I have lived in, relationships and my different roles as an Indian woman and mother living in America.

Researching everyday objects for their function in my life and their social significance is part of my process. These include household objects, things in drawers, shelves, rooms and traditional and nontraditional objects. I am fascinated by their physical characteristics and what happens when they are taken out of context and repeated or combined. As an example, threads used in Indian marriage ceremonies could be woven together using multiples of knots, or a drawing could contain thousands of minute seeds, spices, or grains.

I use Japanese Kozo paper to make detailed drawings using pencil, watercolor and embroidery. These are layered with woodblock printing or sewing, and may be cut, rolled or otherwise manipulated to become objects themselves. Sometimes these mixed media drawings morph into sculptural pieces where physical objects become the focus, like hundreds of objects collected in glass jars or red bangles sewn on the artwork or hung from the ceiling.

Artist Bio

Nandini Chirimar grew up in Jaipur, India and moved to America in 1987 to study art. She has to her credit a BFA degree in Drawing/Painting from Cornell University, a residency at the Skowhegan School of Art, and an MFA degree in Painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art. She learned viscosity printing from the celebrated printmaker Arun Bose and spent four years in Japan studying woodblock printing with Japanese artist, Taika Kinoshita. Nandini derives inspiration for her work from everyday objects and situations in her life as an Indian woman and mother living in America. Her mixed media drawings appear sculptural. She uses Japanese Kozo paper to make detailed drawings using pencil, watercolor and embroidery. These are layered with woodblock printing or sewing, and may be cut, rolled or otherwise manipulated to become objects. Nandini has shown her work at the Allen Gallery, New York (solo exhibition); Ono Gallery, Tokyo; Exhibit 320 Gallery, New Delhi; CIMA Gallery, Kolkata; AHAF Fair, Korea; SLICK II Fair, Paris; and in Erasing Borders Traveling Exhibitions organized by the Indo-American Arts Council. She lives and works in New York City.