Home and Away

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Today, I live in a country in which I was not born. Everyday encounters – big or small events – often feel detached, removed from home. I have realised that growing up in the post-colonial culture of Kolkata, while living ancient Vedic rituals in everyday life, has inherent tensions. These, alongside the challenges of migrating to another culture are the foundation for this research. The artworks are an attempt to anchor consciousness through a re-contextualisation of Vedic rituals in suburban Australia. Home and Away is a series of works that attempt to connect disparate identities while searching for an authentic sense of home. Performing identity through an embodied process over a period of three years, Home and Away has become somewhat cathartic. In the making of these works, unconscious tensions emerge. These processes expose uncertainties and anxieties, raising further questions about the notion of shared histories, identity, authenticity and home.