Multimedia artist Ketna Patel is currently exhibiting her vibrant work at the Heath Robinson Museum. Her collection titled Remixology will be on display through February 8. Patel is known for her exploration of the intricate web of identities that shape our world.
Born in East Africa and having lived in six Commonwealth countries, Patel describes herself as a perpetual observer. This nomadic background significantly influences her art. She notes that living in different countries turns one into a voyeur who is always studying the other. Her work reflects a mixed up, global, and interconnected world where mythology, popular culture, and history intertwine.
Patel’s transition from architecture to fine art was inspired by a desire to tell undocumented stories. She felt that the architectural field was often hijacked by private developers and wanted a more immediate medium to share narratives of hybrid identity. Patel’s process is similar to cooking. She collects ingredients and documentation during her travels and then assembles them into cohesive pieces.
The exhibition includes several notable works. Sisters of Earth explores the relationship between a Punjabi lady and an English lady from the 19th century. It serves as an olive branch toward the painful history of colonization while celebrating human connection. Another piece, Sands of Time, uses a sandglass metaphor to depict the shifting nature of history and the imbalance of colonial power.
One of the most striking pieces is a fiberglass elephant titled Stop Asians Ahead. Painted in 2011, it uses China and India as metaphors for the analytical left brain and the emotional right brain of Asia. Patel hopes her work encourages curiosity and conversations among people from all backgrounds to help erode prejudices.