Anoushka Mirchandani is an artist on the rise that we love — with a new solo show on display in her home town of San Francisco, she is a creative simultaneously taking an active role in advocating for environmental activism and women empowerment. Anoushka is involved with organizations such as Global Coralition and Future Horizon, and giving back through creative practices are her initial steps in leading her own contributions to the better future of humanity and our earth. Simultaneously, she is finding deeper purpose within her artwork, endlessly working to understand how she can better serve and support other women through art.

Tell us a little about you!

I’m an Indian artist based in San Francisco. I have been an artist for as long as I can remember, although given my cultural upbringing, I never conceived being able to pursue art as a viable career option. After dismantling my own personal limitations and cultural preconceptions around this, leaving a 7 year career in technology behind, and rising above the prevailing imposter syndrome, I was able to wholly follow my passion.

Encountering and overcoming failure is a constant feature of an artists’ journey, from my experience. It could be a rejection from a show, an art grant, an artist residency, or daily frustrating attempts during the creation and experimentation process of developing a new artwork — either way, an artist builds resilience, their artwork gets better, and lessons are learned. For me personally, having found my purpose later than most, I have clarity that creating artwork to evoke emotions in those around me, being vulnerable and aiming to be the best version of myself gives me purpose, and meaning, and this drives me to pick myself back up after a setback.

Of course, the world is a beautiful place, full of interesting people, wondrous and heartbreaking moments. Continuous and ever-evolving inspiration makes it easier to dust yourself off, and keep going!

We see that you’re pretty involved with environmental activism, what are some things you’re interested in getting more involved? What are some of your missions and goals?

Earlier this year, before the pandemic struck, I spent some time in the Dominican Republic where I joined an organization called Global Coralition to assist in the building of a 14’ tall sculpture of Atabey, the Taino Mother Goddess. Once completed, the sculpture will be deployed into the ocean to serve as a coral restoration site. It was an incredibly rewarding experience for me, because not only did I get an opportunity to collaborate with an incredible group of artists, environmentalists, technologists etc, and learn a new skill set of metalworking, but I also was able to contribute to an art project with a direct environmental impact — i.e. be a small part of the movement to restore coral reefs, and healthy marine habitats.

I’m passionate about impactful art, and I aim to be a long-time contributor to Global Coralition as they create sculptural reefs all over the world.

Additionally, I joined the production team of an incredible environmental conservation + tech focused gathering called Future Horizon, in Cabarete, Dominican Republic — the mission of which is to envision, build and celebrate a sustainable future. I curated the art gallery for this retreat, working with artists from the local communities of Cabarete and Santo Domingo, along with international artists to showcase a variety of immensely impactful and meaningful artworks alongside other programming of the event, which included workshops, panels and talks about technology, sustainability, and environmental conservation.

It’s also important for me to serve underserved communities with my art practice, and I recently partnered with Six Degrees Society for a virtual event with an artist fireside talk, benefitting FreeArtsNYC, an incredible organization that empowers underserved youth through art and mentoring programs.

What have you noticed are the biggest differences in the art world between India and the US? What are some similarities?

Honestly, I haven’t had a chance to be more involved in the art world in India yet, apart from an incredible artist residency at the base of the Himalayas in 2019 where I had a transformational experience and met some incredible Indian artists, and curators. It is definitely a goal of mine to spend more time understanding the contemporary art scene there, visiting galleries and artist studios. I would also absolutely love to have a show in India!

Which parts of your culture do you think influences your overall work and style?

I lived in India until I was 18, and go back and forth fairly often — as a result my work is very much an amalgamation of my cultural upbringing, my current life in San Francisco, and my historical and immediate socio-political environment. In my latest collection, the color palette, and recurring motifs draw heavily from fragments of childhood memories in India. Specifically, the mango yellows, muted, and pastel oranges, and greens.
Most of the subjects portrayed in my figurative work are women, and again this is very much a reflection of my personal journey as an immigrant woman on a path of self-discovery in the United States. I initially painted predominantly, nude figurative women to repair the relationship I had with my own body, which one was of discomfort and fear instilled in me by a patriarchal, and outdated society that shames women for showing “too much skin.” My latest collection that was just revealed in my debut solo show digs even deeper to reflect on the individual journeys of women in all aspects — her emotions, her body, her experiences, and her mindscape as she navigates the world. In the same vein, my abstract artworks are a deep dive into the microcosm of these emotions, once the physicality of the body drops away.

What are some of your favorite pieces you’ve created so far? Why?

Some of my favorites artworks are the ones that started out as experiments that then took on a life of their own and ultimately showcase a compelling story of the ups and down of artistic creation. These artworks, such as “Almost Human” and “Have You Seen My Cat? (Comfort Zone)” from my new collection, Note to Self, were testing grounds for ideas that were still incubating. This sense of initial detachment to the artworks, where I had believed their primary purpose was to be the basis of another artwork, provided me a sense of freedom to push boundaries without hesitation, and not treat the artwork preciously. I was able to effectively channel my desires, and subconscious without self-imposed expectations and inhibitions, and the artworks constantly surprised me and came to be unique pieces that I hold very dear.

Other artworks like “The Verge” and “Block Party” have endeared themselves to me deeply because of how challenging they were to create, and the extent of emotion I poured into them. Giving so much of myself to these artworks, and the constant push and pull with them to the eventual feeling of catharsis, joy and fulfillment once they took their final shape has very much mirrored my artist journey.

Can you tell us about your solo exhibition that is currently on view?

My debut solo exhibition, Note to Self, is currently on view at Glass Rice in San Francisco till September 26th. The opening reception was just this past weekend, and I have been amazed and overwhelmed by the response to my new collection of artworks, especially in these strange, unprecedented times!

This collection itself is a personal visual diary of sorts that juxtaposes figurative and abstract artworks, chronicling my journey of self-discovery as an immigrant woman in the United States. The artworks draw on the plethora of emotions, encounters, and memories I have experienced on my multi-layered voyage to this current moment in time. Each painting conjures for me a significant marker of my timeline, a reflection of the self in moments of change, of quiet, and of action. This collection is an intimate, and vulnerable expression of myself, and my hope is that it reminds the audience viewing it of their own internal narratives, and triggers in them estranged feelings of nostalgia, longing, celebration, reflection etc, that given our current cultural context seem displaced and out of reach, but nonetheless that each one of us had experienced at some point on our own life journeys.

Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years from now? (creatively speaking!)

In a studio with many windows by the ocean and creating artwork that continues to evolve, dig deeper, and leave an impact on the people that view it.

A Moment with Anoushka Mirchandani