Kaveri Raina has one work, Still, in the current group exhibition Index.
We reached out to Kaveri with some questions about her current studio practice, how things have changed during COVID, and what she is looking forward to.
Kaveri Raina, Still, 2016, Screen print on burlap, 90 x 50 inches.
Tell us about your work in this exhibition?
The screenprint, Still for this exhibition is my first screenprint I ever did. In 2016 I was a fellow at Ox-Bow and had the chance to experiment with screen printing. I really enjoyed it on burlap- since when I paint on burlap it’s a back and forth process and with screen printing the ink seeped through the fabric. A lot of the imagery for this was very spontaneous- I often look at paintings I have created and start from there as an entry point.
How does this specific work relate to and fit in with your practice in general?
I haven’t done many screen prints but hope to have access to a facility so I can explore it further. I am really interested in wood block printing- in which I can carve my own design on the wood and print that way-
Can you talk about your studio practice? What does a typical day in the studio look like? What is your studio environment like?
I am a maker- and try to go to my studio 5-6 times a week. I like the idea of it being a routine for me and I am really lucky to have been able to have that as my full time practice. It takes a long time to settle and start something in the studio. But my day begins once I start walking over to my studio- thinking, plotting etc. are all part of the process for me. I have a large window in my studio-which is must because it lets me look outside- helps me to think, dream and settle my eyes other places than my own work. Studio practice is and can be very lonely- I am with myself a lot, a lot of introspection happens. So for me having a window to look out of really helps and also natural light is crucial.
Has your work or studio environment changed at all since the onset of COVID-19?
Mid March I drove to Ohio to be with my parents from Brooklyn. I just got back a couple of weeks ago. So I was in Ohio for a good five months or so. It was very tough to say the least. I was content and comfortable physically to be with my family but mentally it was very draining. Not having access to my things, the environment amongst the pandemic was very unsettling. I carved out a space at my parents’ and was able to make some drawings- not a lot and I was trying not to be super productive either. But a lot of introspection, time to think, reset, think productively and be with family.
What are you working on currently? What is on the horizon in terms of upcoming exhibitions, residencies, or anything else you are looking forward to?
I am working towards a few exhibitions coming up at the end of this year and early 2021. Hoping to be a little more productive and get some paintings done.
Kaveri Raina lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. She was born and raised in New Delhi, India and moved to the United States at the age of eleven. She received her BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art in 2011, her MFA in Painting and Drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2016, and studied at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 2017. Raina has received various awards and fellowships including the James Nelson Raymond fellowship, Fred and Joanna Lazarus Scholarship, and was recently nominated for the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors grant. Raina’s work has been exhibited in the US, India, and Germany. She had her first international solo exhibition in March 2019 at Annarumma Gallery, Naples, Italy, and had a solo show at Assembly Room, New York, NY this past spring, 2019. Summer 2019 she exhibited at Luhring Augustine, in New York and opened a solo exhibition at Patron Gallery, March 2020.