Raka Panda

Within the space of various frames, I try to build a world that is undeniably separate from the one we live in. What fascinates me about any artistic medium is that it can pull the viewer out of a logical and common world and place them within the space that is more alive. When I use the narrative content in my works, I try to make viewer the alternative reality,

Surface is an essential part of my work. I choose the surface on which to make the painting based on the mood I want to depict. The stories I paint are those of the common person’s experience- expressions of wonderings about everyday dealings. In my recent work I used fabric (such as my old bed cover). It is a representation of how at the end of the day, I slide into it and all the seemingly insignificant conversations and happenings/observations
of the day run through my mind. It is here that I begin questioning why things are the way they are; not necessarily in a melancholic tone. Sometimes, it is simply innocent wonderment.
Having grown up in a Bengali, lower-middle class household, I have vivid memories of my
grandmother engaging in Kantha work using old clothes. I have spent endless time after school.

These processes of adding, fixing and stitching, metaphorical of many daily experiences, are the central themes of my work. Empathetically I try to understand about the journey of Common masses throughout the day-by-day activities. I consider myself in that frame of common man and amalgamate in my work about the way of journey . How do they experience their journey? What Does the path look like?