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Inspired
by film stills taken from Indian Cinema of the 1940's
to 1950's, the Still Lives series disrupts the standard
linear construction of the film narrative. Each of the
isolated photographic images are striped to its most minimal.
Manipulating and distorting production and publicity snapshots
in the darkroom re-contextualizes the traditional song
and dance musicals of the period. Divisions between film
genres blur as comedies become dramas, revealing a darker,
more subversive critic of the over the top, popular entertainment. |
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The
M series combines imagery from 16th century miniature
style paintings and classic Indian textile designs that
have been reworked by hand in the art studio. This blend
of archaic refinement and contemporary simplicity creates
a balance that erases temporal boundaries between antiquity
and the present. An alternative history is invented
within each unique piece. The artist's fascination with
the intricate details and techniques of artistic Indian
expression that has continued over the centuries provides
unlimited opportunities for contemporary re-interpretation. |
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A
one-of-a-kind series of mixed media artworks. This unique
series was created to display a contemporary view of
India's rich, ancient heritage. Forty-five artworks,
created on paper using traditional techniques ranging
from hand made stencils, painting, and drawing. The
artworks depict different forms of classical Indian
Dance. |
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A
new multi-media, mobile art installation. Reinventing
select vestiges from India’s vast artistic, cultural,
and religious traditions within a contemporary context,
The Sweet Shop is a mobile art installation that takes
place throughout the exterior and interior of a refurbished
school bus. The project’s premise involves using the
universal language of art as a “vehicle” for sharing
the artist’s perspective on vibrant aspects of Indian
culture with a broad audience by taking art OUT of the
gallery and INTO the streets. For the last few years,
Pratima Naithani has traveled to different regions of
India, from north to south, drawn to the relationship
of sweet shops and truck art as vivid, colorful barometers
of Indian street culture, finding commonality in their
sensory appeal as fertile forms for creative expression.
Her documentation of these experiences in the form of
photographs, video, and sound samples have been translated
into a series of 21 mixed-media works (uv digital digital
silkscreen on canvas, acrylic painting with mirror work
applied to the canvas) ranging from 2ft x 3ft to 3ft
x 5ft. For more information on The Sweet Shop, please
visit www.pratimanaithani.com/sweet.
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SELECTED WORKS
CATALOGUES
