NIMISHA DOONGARWAL | CONCEPTUALLY LAYERED COLLAGE
Nimisha is an immigrant from Indian, and this project starts as a self-discovery to find her own identity and belonging. Mixed media artworks Nimisha creates are grouped inventories of fragments: paintings, photographs, fabrics, and digital prints.
The work explores the varying relationships between past and popular culture by referencing Indian and British history. Every image tells a unique story by creating visual links to history and reality.
The work reproduces familiar visual signs and oral histories by arranging them into new conceptually layered collages. Nimisha’s methodology is consistent while using a variety of materials and processes in each project. Each piece starts with a curated collection of photographs, fabric, and other materials. The vintage portraits are altered digitally by juxtaposing photos with different transparencies and filters.
Nimisha’s physical marks follow the repetitive process of going between tearing and layering prints, collaging, painting, stamping, and adding fabric. The layers vary in sizes, saturation, and opacity to emphasize compositions and concepts.
The portraits she creates have a new abstract identity, which emphasizes the cultural and traditional overlap; people worldwide have gone through over the centuries. This overlap has made people remarkably similar, irrespective of the varied physical appearances. Through her works, she wants to encourage people to embrace cultural diversity and reduce prejudice against groups based on color, race, religion, appearance, etc. Her goal is to voice social issues immigrants face around the world through her art and advocate awareness.
“The work reproduces familiar visual signs and oral histories by arranging them into new conceptually layered collages.
Nimisha’s methodology is consistent while using a variety of materials and processes in each project. Each piece starts with a curated collection of photographs, fabric, and other materials.”