Kirtika Kain is a Delhi-born artist working on Dharug land. Combining elements of sculpture, experimental printmaking and painting, Kirtika’s practice draws from her Dalit lineage and investigates hybridity, ancestral memory and the complexities of race and caste in the diaspora. Her work is influenced by historical and family archives and her labour-intensive studio practice utilises materials of ritual, including pigments, waxes and golds, reclaiming their traditional religiosity. The quality of timeless silence and sacredness that these materials uphold are central in her work. Kirtika’s visual representations tell a story of personal and collective histories, reflecting on the fragmented inheritance of caste.   

Image: Kirtika Kain, Blue Bloods VIII, 2023, cotton wicks, rangoli pigment, gold leaf, tar, artist pigment, acrylic paint, image courtesy Roslyn Oxley 9 Gallery, Sydney and the artist © the artist