Soghra Khurasani: Art Dubai 2022

Soghra Khurasani’s newest series, ‘Shadows under my Sky’ formed a chunk of her  recent exhibition at TARQ with the same title. The series of woodcut prints and etching works that will be exhibited at Art Dubai 2022 are a continuation of the same series which has been created by the artist during the ongoing pandemic. Khurasani’s works explore themes of unity and identity through the fragile landscapes and forms that she observes from her studio just outside Baroda, India. 

The subtle landscapes in this series hint towards Khurasani’s layered imagination that gradually reveals itself in hues of vivid colours and textures. Rife with art historical and social references, Khurasani’s works employ visual metaphors to express her beliefs on religious and national identities, casteism, and racism and gender bias. Placing the intimate connections between human bodies and nature at the centre of her practice, Khurasani regularly uses natural forms as a grounding framework. 

As described by Nancy Adajania, “Soghra Khurasani’s recent [series] – ‘Shadows Under My Sky’ – marks a transition from the high colour and operatic gestures of her earlier prints to a gentler, more reflective register. The fissured earth and volcanic craters are no longer cast in harsh reds and pinks. The artist now dwells on luminous evocations of night, quiet fields, emerald islands and wetlands that nurture processes of germination." 

"Soghra has spoken of her feeling of having been ‘labelled’ through stereotypes of gender, religion and ethnicity, and has resisted such mechanisms of Othering... Soghra’s previous disquiet at being Othered and her more recent preoccupation with the diversity of India’s environment come together in works where she depicts marsh grass, emblematic of the wetlands that are not recognized by the Forest Act, which is more closely linked to revenue classification than to ecological sensitivity. These seemingly marginal zones are, in fact, essential to the health of the ecosystem. The marsh grass becomes symbolic, in Soghra’s lexicon, for the ‘unwanted’ that, in fact, holds the promise of regeneration. We are mesmerized by this woodcut, which, along with the quintessential high horizon line of Soghra’s works, projects both resilience and serenity." - Nancy Adajania

Soghra Khurasani got her Post Graduate Degree in Print Making (with Distinction) from M.S. University of Baroda, 2010 and Undergraduate Degree in Painting from Andhra University, Vishakhapatnam, 2008. She has shown extensively in India and the USA,  and has participated in several group shows.
 
Her solo exhibitions include Shadows under my sky  at TARQ, Mumbai (2021); SKIN, Gitler& ______, New York (2018); Cratered Fiction, curated by Sumesh Sharma, TARQ, Mumbai (2015); To Speak for the Mute, Gitler& ______, New York (2014); Reclaiming Voices, curated by Noman Ammouri;Kalakriti Art Gallery, Hyderabad (2014); One day it will come out, curated by Sumesh Sharma & Hena Kapadia, TARQ, Mumbai (2014). 

She has participated in group shows including Resurgence, Online show at TARQ, Mumbai (2020); The Print: Matter in Matrix, curated by Satyajit Dave, in association with Latitude 28, at Shridharani Gallery, Delhi (2020); Body, curated by Johny ML at Shanghumugham Art Museum, Kerala (2019); India Art Fair, TARQ, Delhi (2019 & 2018); Memento Mori, TARQ, Mumbai (2015); VadFest, ‘Back to College’ group show, Vadodara International Art and Cultural Festival (2015); Unseen Passages — works of Pallavi Singh &Soghra Khurasani; Art and Aesthetic Gallery, New Delhi (2014); Regional Art exhibition, Lalit Kala Akademi, Chennai (2014); Series: A construal of mourning and rage, women artists’ show, curated by Aparna Roy Baliga; Emami Chisel Art, Kolkata (2014); Multiple Encounters, All India Fine Arts & Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi (2013); Explorations, Kalakriti Art Gallery, Hyderabad (2013); Visual Evidence, Clark House Initiative, Mumbai (2013); United Art Fair, New Delhi (2013); Interstices, curated by Neelima Jayachandran, Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2012, Kochi (2012); Between the Lines: Identity, Place and Power, curated by Lina Vincent Sunish; India Habitat Centre, New Delhi; NGMA Mumbai; NGMA Bengaluru (2012); Inks & Ideas, Kalakriti Art Gallery, Hyderabad (2011) and The Big Picture II, India Foundation for the Arts, Gallery Sumukha, Bengaluru (2011).

 
She has participated in the Beisinghoff Printmaking Residency, Women’s Studio Workshop, Germany (2018), Khoj Kooshk Residency Exchange Program in Tehran and Delhi (2016); amongst others. She is the recipient of 56th National Academy Award at Lalit Kala Akademi, Rabindra Bhavan New Delhi, 2015.

She lives and works in Baroda, Gujarat.