Sangeeta Sandrasegar works within a research-based practice, building narratives in which new work connects to previous projects. The artist’s practice consolidates postcolonial and hybridity theory, exploring her life in Australia and the relationship between migrant communities and homelands.
Sangeeta Sandrasegar’s practice has consistently engaged with shadow as a formal and symbolic motif in developing these themes. The artist manipulates shadow in all forms to create images and effects that are ephemeral and powerful. Sandrasegar’s diverse application of the silhouette gives a voice to the identities of people caught on the margins of society. These fluctuating shadows and ephemeral visual effects subtly address the ambiguous status of individuals caught in a complex social structure.
Sangeeta Sandrasegar’s representation of contemporary narratives considers the beauty and brutality of the contemporary world. She weaves together theory and artistic motifs inspired by various cultures and her work demonstrates that political statements can be made within the realm of visual poetics.
In 2004 Sangeeta Sandrasegar completed a Doctorate of Philosophy at the Victorian College of the Arts and the Australian Centre at the University of Melbourne. The content of the exegesis was to formalize a visual practice centred on the creative space of shadow as a theoretical tool. Sandrasegar proposed that shadow be re-examined and employed as a salient visual device for representing the ideas considered in postcolonial studies and hybridity theory.
Sangeeta Sandrasegar has exhibited professionally in national exhibitions of emerging art at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, the Australian Centre of Contemporary Art, Melbourne, and the Gallery of Modern Art, Queensland, in addition to major international exhibitions and biennials in UAE, India, New Zealand, Korea and the USA.
Sandrasegar has been the recipient of grants for research and residencies in Australia, Italy, London, Spain, France, India, Malaysia and Japan.
The artist has completed commissions for the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, The Besen Collection, Melbourne, The Australian Tapestry Workshop, Melbourne and the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.
She was invited for exhibit her works at the 15th Sharjah Biennale, Asia Pacific Triennial, among several others
Selected collections
ArtBank, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of South Australia, Aust Corp, Australian Catholic University, BHP Billiton, City of Melbourne, Collex, Deakin University, HSBC Bank (Australia), Museum of Contemporary Art, National Gallery of Victoria, Powerhouse Muesum, Queensland Art Gallery | GOMA, The University of Western Australia, The Art Gallery of South Australia, Museum of New Zealand
ArtBank, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of South Australia, Aust Corp, Australian Catholic University, BHP Billiton, City of Melbourne, Collex, Deakin University, HSBC Bank (Australia), Museum of Contemporary Art, National Gallery of Victoria, Powerhouse Muesum, Queensland Art Gallery | GOMA, The University of Western Australia, The Art Gallery of South Australia, Museum of New Zealand