I was born in Bangalore (South India) but my family is from Allahabad (North India). I moved to San Jose, California when I was ten months old. Eight years later I found myself fighting my parents because I didn’t want to go back.

 

I lived the next ten years of my life in Hyderabad- in South India. It was not where I was from but I definitely grew up there. And I loved it. But I decided to leave, again, right back to the United States- Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, Massachusetts.

 

Now, I had lived almost exactly a decade of my life in each country. And I began to struggle with the dichotomy of not being Indian or American enough wherever I went. I thought I would never find a home. Until I realized, I was in a unique position to decide for myself. I could choose a culture I identified with and was intrigued by.

 

My home is India.

 

And it has been the subject matter of my work ever since.

 

I entered the Jewelry and Metals program at MassArt with the idea of exploring why I identified with India so much.

 

Indian culture encompasses tradition and evolution. It has deeply rooted history that the people have developed with their own understanding of art. Exploring this idea in my art showed me that I can develop my own tradition.

 

I discovered that my history comes from my experiences with the clash of India and USA inside me.

 

The constant exposure of gold and extravagant indian jewelry showed me the wonders of silver. This metal has the powerful capacity to become a blank canvas for stories to come alive on. And I can use this unique feature to create jewelry inspired from my home translated in my perspective in a new medium.

 

I seek to allow the story to make the object more precious than the silver ever will.

 

This is where I work to find balance, in my art and in my life.

 

 

 

 

 

Aditi Lakhtakia