India Inked

Curatorial Statement:

It all started in 2011 when Nirmal Raja and her artist and friend Dara Larson did a short residency at a print shop in Hyderabad, India. This little print shop called Banyan Hearts is an oasis in the bustling city. They were most impressed by the sincere interest and hard work by artist Sudhakar Chippa who owns and runs this print shop and residency. He provides great leadership and opportunities to young Indian artists who are often struggling for guidance once they graduate from college.

Since their first visit, numerous artistic collaborations and artists’ exchanges have taken place between Banyan Hearts and several artists in Milwaukee, WI where Raja resides. Slowly, the idea of India Inked! began to emerge—a show that highlights the full scope of printmaking among Indian and Indian American printmakers. Santhosh Sakhinala, one of the artists at Banyan Hearts and professor at JNTU Hyderabad, worked with Raja over a period of one year to curate this show. By giving this opportunity to printmakers who do not receive such recognition, both curators hope to elevate and examine the richness of the medium in the hands of artists who live in India and among Indian Americans.

Featuring works by 12 artists:

From India:
Preeti Aggarwal
Moutushi Chakraborti
Arup Kuity
Kurma Nadham
Karuna Sukka
Gouri Vemula

From the USA:
Anujan Ezhikode
Sarojini Johnson
Ina Kaur
Shaurya Kumar
Sangeeta Reddy
Shantanu Suman

Featured image by Kurma Nadham

Opening Reception: Friday, April 27, 7-9 pm. Curator’s walkthrough 6 pm.