Sneha Shrestha, Worlds Apart (left), 2023, acrylic on canvas, 40” x 30”. Courtesy of the artist.
Sneha Shrestha: Ritual and Devotion
February 1 - April 9, 2024
Ritual and Devotion is the artist’s first major solo exhibition that explores the concepts of ritual and devotion beyond the sacred to include the secular. Here, through her immigration journey, Shrestha reflects on what devotion means to her with respect to family, culture, heritage, ancestry, and self, and how acts, such as filling out immigration forms to the actual process of creating her art, can become ritualized. The exhibition features works, including two site-specific ones, that capture the intermingling of the sacred and the secular, and how her immigration journey, its sacrifices, invocations of nostalgia, evolution of identities, and creation of new opportunities, continues to shape the artist’s interpretations of ritual and devotion.
Events
Feb. 1, Booth Media Lab, 4:30 p.m. - Talk between the artist, Sneha Shrestha, and guest curator, Rachel Parikh. Opening Discussion, Booth Media Lab (1st floor of the Prior)
Feb. 1, Cantor Art Gallery, 5:30 p.m. - Opening Reception
Feb. 29, Online, 12:00 p.m. - "Imagining Ritual and Devotion: Artist Sneha Shresta in Conversation with Rachel Parikh" - Access the Recording
Apr. 2, Cantor Art Gallery, 4:00 p.m. - "Nostalgia and Identity in Ritual and Devotion" by Matthew Jaskot, piano
Join us in the gallery for a concert inspired by Sneha Shrestha: Ritual and Devotion. The program features three captivating works for solo piano: Aghavni by Mary Kouyoumdjian, Rituál by Tania León, and Three Visions by William Grant Still. The musical works presented relate to concepts explored in the exhibit such as the "intermingling of the sacred and secular" and "devotion to culture, heritage, and ancestry." The program will be approximately 30 minutes long.
Apr. 3, Cantor Art Gallery, 5:00 p.m. - "Fractal Nepali Traditions: The Diaspora Devotionalism of Sneha Shrestha", gallery talk with Todd Lewis
What expressions of Himalayan religious traditions can an artist deploy to connect the expatriate experience to the distant homeland? Professor Todd Lewis, a scholar who has studied the religious traditions of the Kathmandu Valley for over forty years, discusses the beliefs and practices that constitute the foundations of the exhibition, Ritual and Devotion. He will also share his reactions to and reflections on the art exhibited by Sneha Shrestha.
Apr. 9, Alden Trust Performance Studio, 7:00 p.m. - "Graffiti, Street Art, and Community", panel discussion with exhibiting artist Sneha Shrestha and guest panelists Rob "ProBlak" Gibbs and Caleb Neelon