Panel Discussion on the work of Suchitra Mattai

Transgressive Materiality
Panel Discussion on the work of Suchitra Mattai

Using the framework of “Transgressive Materiality,” a select group of curators and academics who are expert in the different fields of Craft processes, South Asian Culture and the Caribbean Diaspora discuss Suchitra’s work and how the three aspects are woven throughout and inform her art making practice.

"The materials in my work are deeply tied to craft process, my South Indian and Caribbean ancestry. My materials are inspired by South Asian culture but have an alchemical nature, a kind of do-it-yourself process embedded within them, that is prevalent in the Caribbean. My Grandmothers made their own clothes and made brooms of plants and branches. Food at weddings (including my parents’ wedding) were and are served on banana leaves. I am interested in taking what was once discarded, and through the labor of craft, making it beautiful, all in the service of empowering women." – Suchitra Mattai