Paree Rohera

How did you get into making art?

I would say I was a nervous and shy child growing up in an overwhelming city, Mumbai. I think that’s why I naturally leaned on the act of creation to divert my attention and was always looking for things to manipulate or decorate. It started with the trusty “paint by sticker” kits and loom bands. I later found immense satisfaction in the art of beautification—whether it was my nails, hair, room, handwriting, or clothing. Regardless of how unserious of a hobby it was for me, I knew the act of beautification in any sense was like scratching an itch— perhaps inherited from my mother, a jeweler.

My artistic activity almost died down during high school due to the constant ‘STEM vs humanities’ discourse around me, and my artistic pursuits were questioned in the view of landing a reputable college placement or finding a stable career. As a result, independently recognizing that this inclination towards beautification was not merely an unserious hobby but a genuine strength, capable of being honed into a professional skill, became vital. I had to come to terms with the fact that creative pursuits are just as valuable and deserving of respect as any other profession. This realization allowed me to unlock a whole new level of artistic fulfillment. It was only after embracing this realization that I began to see significant changes in my art, confidence, and creativity. This culminated in the confidence to apply to art school and is now set in stone at the Rhode Island School of Design.

What are you currently working on?

I am currently in the process of exploring the sublime, or the beauty in the negative. The ‘negative’ often being the insecurities that are common in the South Asian community that are often overlooked. Physical insecurities like body hair and big noses are the most prominent in my paintings visually, however mental insecurities like anxiety and existentialism are more recently finding their way into the foreground thematically. The visually pleasing vessels that I am using to communicate these negative themes are side profile caricatures, intricate patterning, ornamentation and vibrant hues.

As I am going into my senior year, I want to be able to reflect on my past two years as a painting major to be able to push these vessels and motifs further. On a technical note, I don’t want to duplicate, I want to preserve and transform. I want to bring back techniques like airbrushing and stenciling and compose with South Asian architectural elements that I did initiate in my previous works and blend them with caricature.

What inspired you to get started on this body of work?

I think being an international student means going back and forth between two very different environments and trying to quickly adapt to both in a very short amount of time. Moving between India and the US has been beneficial for my practice as it has become like switching between phases of inspiration and reflection. It has made me learn to forget about why something is beautiful, beauty is pleasure objectified. The sublime however is something higher and better than beauty, it lies in contemplation rather than desire. I like the type of beauty that is bound in terror, loss, unease, chaos or maximalism—maybe because Mumbai is a definition of this. I am inspired by the visual arts as a concept being a lot about the study of beauty, and I wanted this body of work to be a fundamental exploration of this through the view of a South Asian identity.

Do you work on distinct projects or do you take a broader approach to your practice?

I have worked on one distinct project for my solo show, “The Frame Game- Let’s Get Nosey” and decided to put all my energy into creating pieces over four months. I found satisfaction in the ways one thing can lead to the next, and when that didn’t happen I would almost label it as useless. The paintings that I do value are usually detailed and time consuming, so I find it important to try to loosen my hand with a couple of side projects that are usually on paper or unstretched canvas. I find immense value in the constant production of work. Certain patterns or forms become increasingly natural for my hand to execute and eventually become instinctive and stylised, almost like handwriting. Using them as motifs and symbols in my more finished and tighter paintings becomes meditative.

In a certain sense— repetition and rendition creates comfortability and a certain flow of creation that I expect to earn from each painting.

What’s a typical day like in your studio?

As a college student I work around classes for studio time, but usually try to get to the studio as early as possible in the day right after the gym and breakfast. A daily routine is important for me to be able to avoid the anxiety sponge I can become at times. I usually like to leaving the studio the night before with a clear place I can start off from the next day. This will normally be a moment in a painting that needs a lot of one repetitive mark or pattern. Even though the unknown can be extremely beneficial sometimes too, starting the day off without a clear point is something that I probably will procrastinate. This allows me to warm up when I enter the space, so I can leave more space for spontaneity as the day goes on. I have found that this way of working is more efficient for me on the daily.

Other than this, painting makes me hungry—very, very hungry—so I always have to pack lunch. A chai break at around 6pm is also critical.

Who are your favorite artists?

Mithu Sen
Jay Defeo
Atul Dodiya
Celeste Rapone
Diego Rivera
Naudline Pierre
Thukral and Tagra

Where do you go to discover new artists?

Usually Instagram, my algorithm is now coded for this which makes it extremely easy. This summer I got to visit many galleries in DC and SF and found some of my favorites here. I have also discovered many significant artists through recommendations from peers and professors at RISD.