"Roots and Resilience: Exploring the Strength of Punjabi Women in Indian Art"
I’m thrilled to announce my first feature exhibition in Seattle in several years, and I’m especially excited about this show because it marks a significant shift in my work. For years, I’ve focused on urban settings—capturing doors, windows, and shopfronts from my travels and local haunts. But for the past three years, I’ve been working on something close to my heart: depicting Indian, specifically Punjabi, women in their daily lives. This is the first time my figures take center stage, not just any figures, but women rooted in my heritage, drawn from my own photographs taken over the years.
Seattle has been my home for 24 years, but my story began in Victoria and Vancouver, BC, where my Indian heritage was something we quietly kept at home. We lived between two worlds, not fully embracing Punjabi traditions nor entirely at ease with Western celebrations. My parents, especially my mother, embodied resilience. She passed away just over eight years ago, but her strength, honesty, and belief in karma shaped my understanding of the world and inspire much of my work.
It wasn’t until my mid-20s, while exhibiting in Toronto with other South Asian artists, that I began to question why my heritage wasn’t more present in my art. Over time, my Indian roots started to surface, and now they’re at the heart of this new series.
The "Roots and Resilience" collection portrays the quiet strength and grace of Punjabi women as they navigate daily life. These paintings often show women from behind, moving through abstract spaces or bustling markets, carrying both the weight of their challenges and the resilience with which they meet them.
I sincerely hope you can make it to the exhibition to see this collection, which includes both small, intimate snapshots of Indian life and a suite of large watercolors.
Exhibition Details:
Opening Reception: October 12, 5-7 PM
Columbia City Gallery: 4864 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA
Exhibition Dates: October 9 - November 3
Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 11 AM - 6 PM