Gargi Raina

Gargi Raina was born in 1961 in New Delhi. She received a BFA in Applied Art from The College of Arts, New Delhi in 1985, and later, an MFA in Painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in 1988. 

Raina’s works aim to return to the starting point of a form: a circle, cube, or triangle; followed by the juxtaposition with a particular space, culminating into an expressive piece. Her works mainly consist of gouache, acrylic, dry pastels, clay, and wood; and not only does she paint, but she carves and etches into the materials as well. Raina works in sequences which follow a narrative – linear in the way it reads but elastic in the way that it enables us to comprehend and examine. 

In her works, certain symbols emerge from Raina’s memories, such as a spinning top, a breast, and a patterned floor. The top takes her back to her childhood while the floor is reminiscent of Lahore in pre-partition India. The objects and images repeated with an almost hypnotic intensity, are drawn from domestic life, and cause the viewer to question their necessary persistence in our lives. Although these are joyous memories, some memories stem from violence that also reflect in her works. They are based on myths of creation and origin unfolding with movement in time or with the action being performed. The ovoid shape and texture of the egg and the octagonal form of the honeycomb are some recurring symbols in her works along with images of the human body coexisting with motifs from entomology. 

Raina has held several solo exhibitions and participated in a number of group exhibitions in India. She was also awarded the 2002 Residency at Taipei Artists Village, Taiwan. She is represented by Bodhi Art, Gallery Threshold and Palette Art Gallery. She lives and works in Vadodara, Gujarat.