Suchitra Mattai Probes the Intersection of Craft, Art, and South Asian Culture

Indo-Caribbean artist Suchitra Mattai’s practice is rooted in what she describes as “brown reclamation.” Tapestries made of saris, along with embroidery, needlepoint, and other women’s handiworks feature prominently in her debut solo exhibition at Roberts Projects Gallery in Los Angeles. There, her application of these processes supplants British colonial imagery and diasporic heroes with portrayals of regal South Asian women. On July 29, a panel of curators and art historians gathered there to pore over Mattai’s take on “transgressive materiality” in honor of her show. The city’s arts community turned out to hear from moderator jill moniz, PhD, Grace Aneiza Ali, Joanna Robotham, Suzanne Isken, and Mattai herself about how the trifecta of Craft, South Asian and Caribbean culture, and anti-colonialism color a rich body of contemporary art. Photo credit: Melissa Rose/courtesy of Roberts Projects.