My name is Ragini Chawla, I am a visual artist currently living in London. I like to describe my practice as time spent in the studio, thinking, painting and talking. I am interested in representations and constructed images we portray.
Currently I am working on examining the family as a space of violence, coercion and practicing gender hierarchies. In recent series, titled ‘Last Glass of Cola’, I delve into family politics, care and love, desire and greed within the framework of a grand celebration, notably a wedding. A short fictional exhibition text unfolds where five individuals are confronted with the dilemma of determining who merits the last glass of cola, highlighting entitlement, greed and gendered power. Accompanying paintings depict opulent table settings, intricate floral arrangements, and chaos as chairs topple over and food cascades. The shiny and elaborate decorations hide family realities and present marriage as a celebration rather than a violent construct. The assemblage aims to understand representations and constructed images that a society normalises.
In the realm of personal politics I also am keen on documenting acts of care and love exercised by women for their families, where labour is considered a duty of care. Intimate portraits of my mother and grandmother sharing introspective moments working in the kitchen. These paintings are also a part of a long term project documenting my grandmother’s recipes. Through this personal series, I want to adapt cultural knowledge and histories that has been passed on to me by the women in my family.
My interest in constructed images started with during my bachelors education. I looked at political portraits to humour myself about the press images of politicians. By painting their gestures, clothing and facial expressions I undertook an exercise in repetition to understand certain tropes used in political portraits to see the voters as consumers a person who is strong, empathetic, and charismatic, or , ideal.
If you have any questions, or comments, or anything get in touch via email raginichawla.work@gmail.com