'Where ya From? ' 2018 

‘Where ya From?’ derives from a question I, along with other bi-racial/ethnically ambiguous people, are used to being asked on a constant basis. In my personal experience this question is both confronting and difficult to answer when you yourself are uncertain of your own given identity.  

Therefore, ‘Where ya From?’  is an exploration into my messy, confusing and, at some points, isolating cultural identity. While the idea of being part of so many different cultures (in my case Indian, Turkish, Singaporean and Australian) is a rewarding privilege, I’ve often struggled with the concept of belonging due to never being fully immersed into a specific culture.  

Through self-portraiture I use my own body as a vessel to explore my various heritages, cultures and ethnicities and how they manifest together. With a choreographed amalgamation of stereotypical symbols, personal objects and the appropriation of murals of the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi I attempt to respectfully honour my relationships to all the aspects of my given identity in order to put together the pieces of an identity totally unique to myself.  

The aesthetic basis of the portrait was inspired by murals of Hindu gods that are traditionally painted and hung up in temples/the homes of Indian families. Goddess Lakshmi is known as the goddess of auspicious fortune and is arguably seen as Maya (and illusion). Lakshmi can be misinterpreted as superficial and materialistic which goes hand in hand with the objects that surround her (Turkish, Singaporean and Australian objects).