Varuni Kanagasundaram

Varuni Kanagasundaram’s art practice and research through clay, textile, performance and community engaged projects investigate rituals of women from the South Asian, more specifically Tamil Diaspora, to explore flux, loss, transience and impermanence of the tangible and intangible that accompanies migrant displacement. How gender and cultural identity are expressed through agency of materiality and performance of cultural rituals as well as how they find new modes of expression when exposed to material practices of different lands and their cultural traditions are explored within the context of relational meaning in ritual practices. Varuni has been a recipient of the NCECA (American National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) Multicultural Fellowship; presenter at conferences in Australia (ACUADS) and in USA (NCECA); international art residencies in the USA (Colorado and New Mexico); selected in international exhibitions including NCECA Annual Exhibition in 2020 (Richmond, Virginia, USA); public art commissions/grants in Melbourne and Sydney; finalist in major sculpture/fine arts exhibitions and award recipient in Australia. These avenues for communicating have enabled the creative practice and research to engage a broader audience.

Residency/Fellowship

Truth & Reconciliation 2018/2019
2024 Sovereignty

Website

http://www.varunik.com

Location

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

LONGING/ BELONGING // ALUMNI STATEMENT

Current times have revealed inequities in our society and fractures in structures built on the legacy of colonisation and capitalism. Times of relative normality often mask or dismiss deep concerns for the diverse community that make up our society at the level of humanity. There is much learning to be gained from experiences of first nations people, the original custodians of the land; people of all races including migrants of colour who have come to form the fabric of our society. They bring a way of relating to the world and make meaning through their experiences and cultural practices. These can inform and open a different way of connecting through a universality of language that embraces what is fundamental to humanity. –Varuni Kanagasundaram