As a young artist from India Arpana Rao’s creative expression speaks of her culture, as she is moved by her surrounding, people and the everyday. Growing up in a rugged rural place of south India and witnessing her parents invest their lives in social work Arpana’s work too has been motivated by a sense of social consciousness and a desire to elevate the everyday. In the past her work has represented the local farming communities as home was surrounded by paddy fields, the overwhelming market places and more recently the everyday cultural object’ tiffin carriers’ a layered metallic food container. Having drawn inspiration from Indian contemporary artist Subodth Gupta and his use of everyday objects and kitchen utensils Arpana takes it further to consider the multiple associations of the tiffin carrier and unpacks its layers of social spaces, food and journey/movement. Integrating art and the everyday processes of life, she continues to question shouldn’t they be one? Having completed a BFA (Bachelors in Fine art) in Pune India, She went on to pursue a masters in fine art at the University of Creative Arts, Canterbury, UK. Finding herself in a new country, a new environment, her cultural background speaks even louder as she shares her culture, creating exchange and dialogue. Not being limited by a single medium of expression, Arpana’s practice is versatile, her work manifesting in the form of paintings, printmaking, drawings, sculpture and installations. Demonstrating an ability to work with a wide range of materials her practice is an open ended process just like a tiffin carrier. Arpana gets her hands messy with paint, ink and food and she loves it. ‘I see and perceive. I comment, and I evolve in a unique space and time. Art is the place that produces a specific sociability’. (Nicolas Bourriaud, Relational Aesthetics).

www.arpanarao-artist.com