Suchitra Mattai: We are nomads, we are dreamers

The five-acre strip that comprises Socrates Sculpture Park in New York stretches along the East River as it flows towards the Atlantic Ocean. It’s this position en route to the sea – with its suggestion of travel and migration – that inspired Suchitra Mattai’s exhibition for Socrates, which exclusively shows newly commissioned work (until 25 August). Outdoor exhibitions tend, for obvious reasons, to feature sculptures made from durable materials such as metal or stone, but here the Guyanese American artist has chosen to use fabric, weaving strips of vintage saris collected from women of the South Asian diaspora. A series of abstract stem- or pod-like forms are dressed in the colourful weavings while textile orbs hang suspended, fruit-like, from nearby trees. The sun, wind and rain will, of course, change these works, which is partly the point: a metaphor for experiences of journeys across oceans and adaptation to local environments.

Find out more from the Socrates Sculpture Park’s website.

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Installation view of Phala (2024) by Suchitra Mattai at Socrates Sculpture Park. Photo: Scott Lynch; courtesy Socrates Sculpture Park; © the artist

Installation view of Becoming (2024) by Suchitra Mattai at Socrates Sculpture Park. Photo: Scott Lynch; courtesy Socrates Sculpture Park; © the artist

Installation view of Becoming (2024) by Suchitra Mattai at Socrates Sculpture Park. Photo: Scott Lynch; courtesy Socrates Sculpture Park; © the artist