Note to Self

Solo Show; Glass Rice, San Francisco

August 29 - September 26, 2020

Note to Self

Glass Rice is proud to present, Note to Self, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Anoushka Mirchandani and co-curated with our friend, Sydney Pfaff, of Legion. In the artist’s debut solo exhibition with the gallery, her latest body of work explores self-discovery through memory and personal narrative. Mirchandani creates a visual diary of abstract and figurative paintings to chronicle the multifaceted, complex and liberating journey from her native country of India to her new home in San Francisco. 

In pairing her abstract and figurative work together, Mirchandani paints a cosmic picture of her emotional voyage as an immigrant woman living in modern day America; from the gestural figurative representations of shifting mental states down to the abstracted, microscopic moments of emotion imagined. This juxtaposition in style yet analogous in concept can be seen in the coupling of her figurative painting, This Must Be the Place, and her abstract painting, Collide Into You. In the first, the artist draws us into a couples’ intimate embrace, a shared private moment in warm shades of orange, burnt Sienna and red, their limbs intertwined and heads close as they hold one another in an infinite pool of water. In the other, similar abstract shapes and shades of color overlap with one another from various angles, coalescing in the middle of the canvas and reiterating feelings of warmth, belonging, and love. The contiguity of these artworks, their simplified organic shapes, captivating color palettes, luminous layers, and active line-work involuntarily evoke a plethora of familiar emotions.

Note to Self transports viewers to their own internal mindscapes, triggering estranged sensations of longing, touch, joy, reflection and vulnerability. Each painting marks a significant state of mind for the artist, synthesizing visual fragments from her memory bank to bring to the surface universal feelings that currently seem just out of reach. As we witness the transformation surrounding global and national upheaval and expressions of cumulative suppression both within ourselves and outside, we are prompted to reflect on our own experiences of transformation, and internal narratives of change in our quarantined abodes.  On another level, the art perhaps is not a singular representation but a more pluralistic one. An embodiment of both relief and release. Mirchandani reminds her audience of our society pre-Covid19 through visual cues, allowing viewers to relive personal moments in their individual cultural contexts, and reconnect with their own entangled emotions and desires. As we continue to shelter in place, we are reminded of better days, gentle echoes of the past, and glimpses into the future with Mirchandani’s paintings.

Press Release