"In providing skeins of multicolored yarn and needles to my talented, multifaceted refugee sisters—who otherwise spend their time counting long, torturous days in flimsy crowded tents, at the mercy of inclement weather and fellow humans in power—my hope is to help them create space in their minds where they may otherwise have none: crocheting their meditative states into beautiful flowers.
My choice to use the colors from the rainbow as a macro representation of their delicate, detailed and breathtaking meditative stories comes from my displaced sisters themselves. When it was time to pick yarn, it became impossible to choose a single color—the delight at picking a range of vibrant hues was for us a rainbow on that rainy day. That rainbows appear indiscriminately around the world and are considered beautiful in many cultures gave us a new, all-embracing language in color. Each flower in this installation personifies this coexistence of unguarded fragility, impregnable tenacity, meticulous detail and awe-inspiring beauty."
Sudnya Shroff
My choice to use the colors from the rainbow as a macro representation of their delicate, detailed and breathtaking meditative stories comes from my displaced sisters themselves. When it was time to pick yarn, it became impossible to choose a single color—the delight at picking a range of vibrant hues was for us a rainbow on that rainy day. That rainbows appear indiscriminately around the world and are considered beautiful in many cultures gave us a new, all-embracing language in color. Each flower in this installation personifies this coexistence of unguarded fragility, impregnable tenacity, meticulous detail and awe-inspiring beauty."
Sudnya Shroff
Image Gallery
Meet the Artist
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Interdisciplinary Artist Sudnya Shroff
Sudnya Shroff immigrated to the US from India as a research assistant in graduate studies at Iowa State University in 1995. After 5 years at Intel as a hardware designer, Sudnya quit engineering in 2002 to pursue her passion for the arts and design which she has used extensively in her activist and social work as a voice for marginalized populations - with an emphasis on vulnerable women and children. She works on the ground with non-profit grassroots organizations she supports philanthropically in India (migrant remote tribes), Greece (humanitarian and environmental aid and education for unaccompanied refugee minors) and the US (cancer research, parent-child separation at the southern border, women’s reproductive rights). She leverages the power of art (paintings, poetry, film, fashion, installations) for storytelling and for maximizing impact. |
Related Press
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Montalvo’s new exhibit explores fabric of humanity
By Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News It may look as though Montalvo Arts Center has been yarn-bombed, but it’s actually the annual Art on the Grounds Exhibition. “Threads: Weaving Humanity” is a series of four newly commissioned textile works that use braiding, stitching, patching and mending as a metaphor for weaving the diverse threads of the South Bay community into a shared social fabric. The works are designed to spark conversation about human connections, including practicing kindness, compassion, integrity, respect, empathy, forgiveness and self-reflection. Read More >> |
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Montalvo Arts Center presents "Threads: Weaving Humanity"
By Bay Area Arts Info, Patch Contributor Montalvo Arts Center kicks off its annual Art on the Grounds exhibition program this summer with Threads: Weaving Humanity, a series of newly commissioned textile works that use braiding, stitching, patching, and mending as a metaphor for weaving the threads of our diverse communities into a shared social fabric. Many of the works on view will offer opportunities for conversation about connecting through our collective humanity, including practicing kindness, compassion, integrity, respect, empathy, forgiveness, and self-reflection. Read More >> |
