Aavashyakta

ARTIST STATEMENT

Aavashyakta - āvaśyakatā
(Noun) Necessity
1. Something necessary or indispensable
2. An imperative requirement or need for something
3. An unavoidable need or compulsion to do something: not by choice but by necessity.

Evolution has always been about the need to survive. It is the one single emotion that drives all our actions and beliefs. It is this need to know that a kid goes to school. It is this need to feel protected and loved that leads us to live in communities and groups. It is this need to provide amenities and have a prosperous life that leads us to migrate and adapt to newer surroundings and civilizations.

As opportunities around the globe became more conducive for man to fulfill these needs, he travelled outside his country in search for a better future.

America is a land of hope for many immigrants, simply put. It has successfully provided a window of opportunity through the HIB visa for many who came with a dream. However, this option is now shrinking. But the need of the man today still remains.

Aavashyakta explores this emotion of necessity. The tie symbolizes a hope for a better future. But over the years the demanding needs of survival have turned these aspirations into shackles of hope. The feet have become tired in pursuit of this H-1B option with laborious hardships and the cracks symbolize the rejections that have been faced in this quest.

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NEHA DADBHAWALA’s work “Aavashyakta” is a reflection on her experience as an immigrant, straddling the hyphen between two nations. Her art pays homage to traditional Indian art forms through her fusion of old techniques with a modernist approach. In 2008, Neha was invited to show her work at the India Art Summit. She has hosted solo art exhibitions with the Consul General of India (2010) and The Public Works (2013). She was named the City of San Jose’s Young Artist of the Year in 2010, which included a solo art exhibition of her work. She was hosted by Sony’s “Women Now” and by the Indus Entrepreneurs for Silicon Valley to commemorate women in business and the arts. Learn more about Neha's work at nehakaari.blogspot.com.