Presence of what; Absence of whom challenges the conventions of traditional portraiture using a variety of mediums, including cut paper, installation, collage, found objects, technology and video.  Today, traditional social structures—once defined by nationality, class and gender—have given way to more individual and improvisational ways of constructing identity. 

This exhibit strives to enhance awareness of the immigrant experience, highlighting the complexities of assimilation, language, attire, and familial ties, especially concerning women, an aspect often neglected in mainstream art and culture. By blending fine arts practice with community engagement, this project will be a mobile and shape-shifting vision of identity, perpetually reinventing itself, to offer reflection and belonging.

Cut paper, a medium deeply embedded in Mani's artistic practice, becomes a fundamental element in her work. With meticulous skill, she transforms this material into abstracted self-portraits and intricate portrayals of contemporary and mythological women. Retelling stories of contemporary, historical, and mythological women through paper portraits is central to her exploration of female identity, shaped by migration and expressed through clothing and rituals. By delving into the interplay between women’s interior lives and exterior presentations, her work investigates the complex relationship between identity and beauty, clothing, time, body, and land. By highlighting the interconnections between clothing, rituals and personal experience, Presence of what; Absence of whom will be a mobile and shape-shifting vision of identity, perpetually reinventing itself, to offer reflection and belonging. 

Photo courtesy: Pratima Murali