Her mother, who lives in Edison, N.J., collects saris from secondhand shops and mails them to her daughter, who lives in Los Angeles and is of Indo-Caribbean descent. For Silent Retreat (2023), Mattai incorporated one of her saris—an exquisite piece of fabric with intricate patterns—into a dazzling embroidered tapestry.
Mattai weaves her family stories into maximalist pieces that read like paintings. She describes this process of introducing people of color to pastoral European scenes as 'brown reclamation.', explaining how her works connect personal history with broader artistic narratives.
My mom is completely detached from material things, said Mattai, describing Subhadra Mattai as someone who thrives in monthslong meditation retreats. In contrast, Suchitra Mattai embraces materiality through her art and familial connections, displaying how this dichotomy influences her creative expression.
Myth From Matter, Mattai's solo exhibition at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., through Jan. 12, showcases the artist's magpie tendencies... the show also challenges fixed histories in art and labor.
Collection
[
|
...
]