Statement

In a moment, life changes. A tree falls, hits you, and you can’t move the way you used to anymore. This is when my new and better life began. I say better because that’s when art entered my life. I wanted to slow down, really look at and experience the things around me, and think about stories told in the past and present through books, films, and my travels. And mostly, most of the time, to be with myself and deeply feel things. That is why my paintings are about these stories, sights, and sensations I have seen and felt. I resonate with Frida Kahlo when she said that most of her paintings are about herself because she is mostly alone, and that’s the subject she knows the best.

Bio

Arpita Kurdekar is an artist whose painted narratives draw from personal experiences, thoughts, and feelings, navigating the space between solitude and imagination, finding whimsy in the everyday and something quietly extraordinary in the familiar. Her art has been exhibited across Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Florida, including at Tampa Regional Artists Gallery and Carrollwood Cultural Center in Tampa, Abigail Ogilvy Gallery and Bromfield Gallery in Boston, Five Points Gallery, Arts Center East Gallery, Mansfield Community Center, Dye and Bleach House Gallery, Stamford Art Association Townhouse Gallery, and WORK_SPACE Galleries in Connecticut.

Following an accident that resulted in paralysis, Arpita developed alternative ways to paint, using a brush attached to a splint and a joystick-controlled mobile easel. She believes these experiences have influenced both her subject matter and artistic style. Her story and artwork have been featured in UConn Today magazine. Arpita holds a Ph.D. in Integrative Studies from the University of Connecticut, where her research focused on the integration of art and engineering. She also holds a Master’s degree in Bridge Engineering from the University at Buffalo and a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Sinhgad College of Engineering in India. She has pursued learning art at the University of Connecticut and mostly through curious self-exploration.