Anoushka Bhalla
violence, colonialism, other systems of erasure. Her use of paint and
terra cotta evokes the unearthing of memories. Her specific use of these
materials gestures towards the historical concept of the
"subaltern"--literally meaning "below the earth"--figures that are
marginalized from collective narratives and denied a voice. In rendering
deeply emotional facial expressions through her unique materials,
Bhalla provides a new language for unheard voices to speak.
working and residing in New York City. She completed her MFA in Fine
Arts from the School of Visual Arts, New York City in 2023 and her BFA
in Sculpture from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India in
2019.
Her recent solo and two-person shows include ‘A Pound of Flesh’
at Charmoli Ciarmoli gallery, New York City and ‘An Endless Journey’
curated by Uttara Parekh at SVA CP Space. Her thesis show curated by
Sara Raza, was exhibited at SVA Chelsea Gallery and works have also been
exhibited in group shows at Charmoli Ciarmoli, Downtown Arts, Flatiron
Gallery SVA, the Kochi-Muziris Students Biennale, Space118 and Space
Studios, India.
Bhalla has been a recipient of the FABnyc Young
Artists of Color Fellowship, the School of Visual Arts Alumni
Scholarship, the School of Visual Arts MFA Scholarship and has completed
an artist residency at Space Studio, India. She was also awarded the
prestigious Girish Bhatt Award and Scholarship by her alma mater for her
BFA thesis show. She was also nominated for an award by the Foundation
for Indian Art & Education and was named one of the top emerging
artists from India. She has received grants from the School of Visual
Arts, the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and the Mrinalini
Mukherjee Foundation for Sculpture and was offered scholarships by the
Parsons School of Design, Maryland Institute College of Art, University
of the Arts London and the Glasgow School of Art. In 2021, she published
a thesis titled ‘Existential Aesthetics: A study of existentialism in
art’. She has also sbeen on the jury of Apex Art several times and has
given artist presentations and panel talks at NYU and School of Visual
Arts respectively.
Her practice has been covered by Canvas Rebel,
Voyage LA, The Design Collective Magazine, A Women’s Thing among other
publications. She previously served as a critic for Hyperallergic and
the Mumbai International Film Festival.