Monica Srivastava
Monica Srivastava (b.1997) is an oil painter exploring themes of identity, family and
relationships, and diaspora. Having grown up in an Indian household, she became aware of the intersections of culture at a young age. After a transformational three week long trip to India in 2018, her experience of these intersections gained new clarity and began to emerge more intentionally in her work. She uses textile and fibers as symbols for identity, culture, family and relationships by exploring what it means to be connected, to be part of the “fabric” of something. She references Indian architecture as a way of questioning spaces of belonging. She is in constant pursuit of the world of the beautiful, bringing together vibrant colors and details patterning. By making this work, she is staking her own territory and carving out a space for her existence within a South Asian, Indian-American experience.
In 2019, she graduated with honors from Massachusetts College of Art and Design with a BFA in painting. In 2023, she graduated with distinction from Pratt Institute’s MFA program. She was the recipient of the Beverly Hallum Fellowship, departmental honors from MassArt, the Pratt Circle award, and the Excellence in Academic Achievement Award from Pratt Institute. Most recently, she has been published in Hyperallergic, I Like Y our Work Podcast, and Canvas Rebel. Her work has been shown at Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, dodomu gallery, and the Brooklyn Museum.
