Suchitra Mattai
My most recent work involves a playful destabilization of the utopian ideals implicit within contemporary American self-understanding. I offer a subtle critique of our social ideologies while simultaneously acknowledging the basic human need for meaning and purpose. Formally speaking, my landscapes betray a precarious sense of unity woven together through webs of pattern, ornament, color and empty space. The fragmentary and disorienting effects of this synthesis serve as a metaphor for the fragility and, oftentimes, the absurdity of the social-political ideals of our times. I draw from a multitude of sources, such as Indian textiles, Persian miniatures, Japanese prints, fairy tales, and popular culture. Combined, these disparate elements communicate contested spaces where utopias are dismantled, identities become muddled and isolation pervades.