Uma Rani Iyli
Starting in 2015, I began developing a photographic series resulting from what could have been discarded material from my painting practice entitled “Q-tip Connections Series”. Through their role in my paintings, the Q-tips have been immersed in the colors inspired by traditional Sari’s transformed into beautiful objects after being used as brushes for my paintings.
My art serves to build bridges between my Indian roots and contemporary culture. Each series allows me the opportunity to embrace my worlds. They act as avenues for others to merge culture and time in their own way. Time-based meditative processes inform my art. Examining ancient cultures and focusing on notions of women’s work, my scalable artwork investigates linking these practices with our contemporary context. Each line that crosses another echoes traditions of weaving and storytelling from my heritage while simultaneously representing the networks of technology that we depend on daily.
After launching my “Q-tip Connections Photographic Series”, I continued to experiment with new configurations of these colorful Q-Tip remnants resulting several versions of my “Q-tip Garland Installation Series” starting in 2016. These Garlands stem from childhood memories of making jasmine flower garlands with my mother. In these installations, I echo this practice by hand-tying my Q-tip relics into garlands. For festivals or in daily life, groups of women would gather to tie garlands together celebrating the roots of our own rituals as woman with strength through stories.
For more information about the artist, please visit her website.