Preetika Rajgariah

Wild, Wild Country
Sat Oct 5, 2019 - Thu Nov 14, 2019

In Preetika Rajgariah’s exhibition Wild, Wild Country, culture, capitalism, and classism collide on the yoga mat. Through sculpture, video, and performance, Rajgariah explores how this spiritual practice with deep roots in Hinduism has proliferated into nearly every subculture of American society. Fascinated by yoga’s popularity but also its dramatic transformation, Rajgariah calls attention to yoga’s long history, its profound spiritual origin, and the nuanced line between appropriation and appreciation.

About the Artist

Preetika Rajgariah (b. 1985) is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice explores themes of cultural identity, perceptions of exoticism, and gendered materiality while specifically referencing her upbringing as an Indian born American. She has attended residencies at ACRE, the Vermont Studio Center, and the School of Visual Arts, and her work was included in New American Paintings #102. She has exhibited at a variety of spaces nationally such as Western Exhibitions, Roots & Culture, and Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, IL, Fort Gondo in St. Louis, as well as Art League and Lawndale Art Center in Houston, TX. She received her BFA from Trinity University (2008) and MFA from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (2018). Currently, she lives and works in Houston, TX.