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I’m Gitanjali Koppikar,
a visual artist based in Sydney, Australia

“My art practice is an investigation and celebration of place and belonging, exploring the concerns of the South Asian diaspora as an immigrant living on sacred Aboriginal land expressed through colour, form, and mark-making.”

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About

Early art education and influences in India
My journey as a young artist began at Sophia Polytechnic in Mumbai, India, where I pursued my undergraduate degree from 1985 to 1990, delving into the realms of design, painting, photography, and multi-media advertising which lay the foundation for a future in art. I was surrounded by the colour, music, sounds, the rich mythology, and history of one of the oldest cultures which has made its way into my art at many different levels.
Formative years in New York City
In 1990, I ventured across continents to New York City, the art capital of the world, continuing my artistic expedition at the MFA program at School of Visual Arts. Then in 1993, while at a summer drawing program at the New York Studio School, I met Mercedes Matter. That encounter was a life-changing moment. The next several years I worked closely with Mercedes who not only founded the New York Studio School but was a trailblazing woman artist of the New York art scene. Mercedes’ sensibility permeated much of my own experience as a young artist in New York.
A sojourn in Italy and Europe
I travelled through Europe to study the masters and embarked on a summer painting program in Italy. And thus, my work evolved over a decade. After several small group shows and a solo show in Chelsea, most of my work was unfortunately destroyed and I found myself at crossroads.
A culmination of study and world travel
Today, I find myself bridging several worlds. Having grown up in Mumbai, studied art in New York, and now living in Sydney, my work is informed by the rich histories and traditions of art from each of these cultures seen through a contemporary lens, informed by the music, poetry, and social issues through lived experience as I have attempted to create home where I am. These experiences have transformed me and in turn transformed how I see the world.

Contact

Feel free to inquire about commissions, collaborations, exhibitions, and prices of original artworks.

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