Embodying the Body with Bhavna Mehta
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Bhavna Mehta is an Indian American artist specializing in cut paper and embroidery. She has exhibited widely across Southern California, and she lives and works in San Diego. Qudsiya and Bhavna talked about her journey from India to the United States, and its connection to her journey living in her disabled body. She describes both as forms of immigration.
Mentioned in the episode:
Script/Rescript show, curated by Amanda Cachia
Artist Sunaura Taylor’s website
Age of Disability by Sunaura Taylor (Orion Magazine)
Solidarity Across Species by Sunaura Taylor and Astra Taylor (Dissent Magazine)
Transcript available here.
About Bhavna Mehta
“As an immigrant, I am constantly longing for connections. In telling one story in a particular setting, I hope to speak in a common language about cultural and personal associations.”
Artist Bhavna Mehta draws with a knife and paint with thread, cutting and embroidering paper to tell visual stories. Her work is based on the idea that everything is connected. Starting with a single sheet of paper, She cuts out shapes to contour the story around a central character or intention. Sewing and cutting become intertwined with figures, text, and botanical motifs forming connections within and beyond the image. Using paper as skin and thread to connect and mend, using cutting and sewing to talk about exposing and hiding, she makes work about relating and remembering.
Her style is influenced by folk art traditions from India. Born and raised in India in an extended family, she was surrounded by women who constantly embroidered, knitted, sewed, and created for the home. The inherent abundance of these experiences and memories roots her work.
A smiling selfie of Bhavna and Qudsiya, who had the opportunity to meet in San Diego in January 2023.
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