Why now? I'm at the juncture in my life where I have more flexibility in my life choices. With my children grown and out of the house, the time is NOW.
Why India? I'm asked that question a lot. I credit my friend Asif Talukdar who I met in New York City, while I was an undergrad at Pratt Institute in the late 80's studying fashion. He owned and ran a restaurant near Columbia University, while also attending school there. He taught me to love Indian food--more specifically Bengali food. He technically taught me how to make my favorite dishes, but because there were never any measurements, my dishes never came out the same as his.
Fast forward to 2005, I met curator and photographer Suvendu Chatterjee, who organized a solo exhibition for me at the Indian Museum in Kolkata. At that time, we discussed a Fulbright project, that logistically did not come to fruition. In 2019, he invited me again to Kolkata, this time for the International Photography Festival there. When he approached me about having another exhibition in India for 2023 at the National Institute of Design (NID), we had the idea of applying for a Fulbright. Suvendu is very well connected with artists and artist institutions around the country, so graciously agreed to facilitate connections for me. He has worked tirelessly behind the scenes with all the logistical planning and coordination.
I will write more about my project in future posts, but I will be focusing on researching and writing about female artists who are working with non-traditional materials and processes, exploring themes of borders, boundaries and community.
If you have questions or a favorite food or places I should visit, please leave comments on the blog. It's so much more interesting to hear from you all.
