A gift from us to you by Roshan

This month we're honoured to feature Roshan, a multimedia artist from India. Her work makes us think and feel deep expanse — it's incredibly moving. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Roshan, thank you very much for being part of this beautiful community. Could you please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about yourself? 

Thank you for having me Mallika! My name is Roshan, which means ‘illuminated’ in Farsi. I am a multimedia artist originally from Goa-India, presently calling Minneapolis home. I am very passionate about the Moving Image and its possibilities in space. I build immersive spaces using light darkness and film. While my studio practice takes center stage, I am also a teaching artist and educator. I am currently a Foundations Drawing professor at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. I believe Art to be a transformative experience and I work with organizations that invest time, labor and resources to make this belief a reality.

Could you tell us a little bit about your approach and work? 

As a multimedia artist I use iterations of light and darkness to observe the interflow of meaning within a multi-lingual framework. Initiated from an autobiographical space, I explore the poignant state of our human condition through visual poetry and theatrical strategies. A shifting, ephemeral space emerges when water and light are combined, a scenic-experiential knowledge I possess due to my Goan upbringing along the west coast of India. Using conceptual, spatial and Marathi narrative layers, I create spaces that mesmerize, incite curiosity and welcome a sense of belonging within the viewer. Integral to the immigrant experience and amplified by the pandemic, I meet my audience in this space of vulnerability, curiosity, language and imagination. 

What about these particular pieces? How do you want people to feel when they observe them?

These works are extracts from my recent show (Oct 15, 2022-Nov 12, 2022) titled ‘पौर्णिमा : Gazing Into The Full Moon Night. The word पौर्णिमा pronounced Pour-nima is a Marathi term for the Full Moon, inciting celebration to mark the beginning and the end of the Moon’s time cycle. Personally, पौर्णिमा is the night of passage: into power, into a sense of wonder, a burning curiosity, an excited calm. I would love for people to have a moment of enchantment when they see these images.

Our intention this month is “Flourish”. What are your thoughts on that and how is it reflected in this work? 

I perceive ‘flourish’ to be a wise, prosperous state of being that comes after an intense period of hardship. In this way, we can flourish many times in our journeys. In the work ‘पौर्णिमा : Gazing Into The Full Moon Night’, I specifically address this state of Flourishing after an intense state of longing and melancholy.

How do you embody or what do you do that makes you feel courageous?

I love taking a walk in the neighborhood to interact with people. I love listening to their stories, how their day went, what languages they speak, what food they eat, what they care about. Listening to people’s stories and journeys makes me feel courageous.

We’re always curious about what people are listening to. What’s your go-to right now or in general? 

My playlist right now is a mix of dreamy and bouncy at the same time haha. I’m loving a mix of Denise Chaila, Sufjan Stevens,  Fatoumata Diawara and Bonobo