Devi (Goddess)
Artist
Sneha Shrestha
(Nepali, active in the United State, born 1987)
Date2021
Mediumacrylic and gold metallic paint on canvas
Dimensionscanvas: 61 × 66 cm (24 × 26 in.)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineHarriet B. Bancroft Fund
Object number2022.37
DescriptionLarge painting on canvas featuring repeated and layered numbers and letters written in Nepali and in Devanagari script.Label TextSneha Shrestha is a Nepali born, Kathmandu and Boston-based artist that is widely known for her blending of the Nepali language, written in Devanagari script, with influences of American graffiti handstyles. Devanagari is an ancient Indian script that developed between the first and fourth century and is the foundation of many South Asian languages and alphabets, such as Nepali, as well as Sanskrit, Hindi, Sindhi, and Kashmiri. Shrestha, through her works, from multi-story murals to paintings on paper and canvas, demonstrates just how fluid and delicate the script can be. While Shrestha commonly paints mantras, or sacred Hindu or Buddhist sounds and syllables, she also documents her personal journeys and the balance between her Nepali and American identities. This painting is part of a series that documents her decade-long immigration journey from Nepal to the United States. Each painting contains the name of one of the many immigration forms she filled out to obtain her Green Card. To convey to the viewer the sense of bewilderment and intimidation she experienced in filling these forms, Shrestha has written the letters and numbers of these forms in Nepali and has repeated and layered them. The color scheme of the series represents what Shrestha's mother wore during a celebration that the artist missed at home in Kathmandu during the Green card process. Devi coincides with an outfit her mother wore for Tihar, one of the most important Nepali celebrations. The series celebrates her immigration journey while noting its challenges, from the grueling process to sacrificing the most valuable thing to her: time with her family. Her connection to her family is an important part of her work and her artistic identity; her street name, “Imagine” is an homage to her mom, a translation of her name into English.
On View
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