Prajakta Potnis

Membranes and Margins

'In a time when everything is about making dreams into realities my interest has been of interpreting those realities through its dreams, understanding the real through the perceptions and the aspirations around it .In my early works I used toys and objects from local markets that people obtain to enrich their homes/lives inquiring into issues of possession and security, this process has led me to the recent series of works that are associated with  the idea of selling dreams.

The popular concept of ‘dream house’ is one that is enveloped with the pressure of achievements and success. I am intrigued by the commodities that are made out of public emotions; these products almost look like cut outs from an urban fairy tale, where one seeks refuge. These gigantic proud structures stand tall in the urban landscape and are symbolic to the standards, that are set to judge the capacity or the success of an individual, while the insecurities of being accepted or appreciated, is left for the consuming middle class to deal with. I have tried to stitch these overpowering structures that dominate the city landscape in to a uniformed social structure, where the imperceptible barriers that mark territories within communities or classes reflect the invisible/hidden walls or membranes which like protective layers build divisions between the insider and the outsider and raise questions of belonging and being accepted.'

Prajakta Potnis has a B.F.A. and M.F.A. in Painting from Sir J.J School of Arts, Mumbai. She has exhibited at many group shows in India, including ‘Stepping Out’, The GuildArt Gallery, Mumbai (2002), ‘Words and Images’, NGMA, Mumbai (2002) and ‘Highlights’, Sakshi gallery, Mumbai (2003). Potnis has been the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships, including the Cumi Dallas Award from the Arts Society of India, Mumbai (1997), the Camlin Award, Sir J.J. School of Arts, Mumbai (2002) and the INLAKS scholarship (2004-2005).  

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