Shanthi Chandrasekar

I am a first generation immigrant to the United States and I came here with my husband and two children with the intention of returning back to Singapore once my husband's project was completed.

After a series of company mergers and changes, we became green card holders and then eventually citizens. 

Through all the ups and downs of moving to a new country, it was the "Kol-am" drawing that kept me grounded.

It is a traditional art form drawn by Tamil women from South India at dawn and dusk on the floor in front of the house using rice or rock powder.

Apart from its aesthetic beauty, Kol-ams are steeped in philosophy with profound thoughts.

I learned to draw Kol-ams from my mother and grandmother.

Now I am sharing this tradition with my daughter. 

In this piece, the brown background is made of American soil and the white Kol-am is made of powdered rock from India.

It signifies the blending of earth from two parts of the world on one panel.