Suchitra Mattai descends from Indian indentured servants who Britain forcibly relocated to the Caribbean in the nineteenth century. Using colorful South Asian saris, or sarees, to create intricate tapestries, Mattai explores both personal and shared stories of migration and the search for identity often experienced by diasporic communities. Her site-specific installation in the Riley CAP Gallery will comprise braided saris that collect in the middle of the room, surrounding a pile of broken glass that resembles a reflecting pool. Mattai believes that the saris, many of which were worn before she acquired them, hold forgotten narratives—or what she calls “mysteries”—tied to their origins and cultural applications. In excavating these histories, Mattai reveals how events of the past continually shape the present and the future.

Using colorful South Asian saris to create intricate tapestries, Mattai explores both personal and shared stories of migration and the search for identity often experienced by diasporic communities.

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Suchitra Mattai

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