In this series, we will spotlight the four pieces that were commissioned for the Bridges not Borders Exhibition of South Asian Art (September 2024).
Sarika Khurana’s Portsmouth Pattachitra is an artwork on wood inspired by Pattachitra Art. To help her develop her commission, Sarika analysed the Pattachitra art pieces produced by the Solent community at workshops in schools, libraries and community centres from September 2023 – July 2024.
Sarika at work
Sarika says: This project has been an interesting learning process for me. I learnt how two different art forms can be combined to create something beautiful and different: in this example, the combination of woodwork using the most modern equipment and the ancient folk art form of Pattachitra to create stories of Portsmouth.
Sarika has used the technique of laser cutting to create this Pattachitra inspired artwork. By first making an initial drawing on an iPad, Sarika then used Adobe Illustrator to convert it into a vector format, and created all the different layers. Next, she used laser cutting software to finalise the pieces and cut them with a laser cutter, followed by sanding, painting and constructing the final layers, before finishing them off with varnish.
Portsmouth Pattachitra on display at the exhibition
Sarika Khurana is an artist hailing from the city of Hisar in North India who lives in Eastleigh. She was involved in art from a very young age, and recently began to focus on her creativity to produce craftwork for festive occasions, including showcasing her work at Christmas markets and art stalls in the Solent region. Interested in Sarika’s work? Follow her on Instagram.
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