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Nostalgia
A quiet afternoon in a South Indian home—sunlight filtering through wooden pillars, casting beautiful shifting patterns on the floor. The rusty edges of an aging iron cot, the scent of camphor and incense mingling with the peppery tones of cumin-spiced rasam simmering on the stove. The walls, their peeling layers of paint, hold stories of a time when life moved slower, marked by familiar sounds: the rhythmic grinding of a stone mortar, the murmur of family conversations, the wail of a baby in the thottil (hammock), gently soothed by the rocking motion and a well-worn lullaby, the constant hum of a black-and-white television in the background.

A calendar dotted with handwritten birthdays, woven stools pulled up for a quiet chat, nine-yard cotton saris neatly stacked in a wooden cupboard—each a thread in the fabric of a world that still feels close, even as it drifts further into the past. Memories of my grandmother’s home in West Mambalam are woven into every detail of this piece.

Biography
Saranya Chandrasekaran is an interdisciplinary artist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her artistic practice is shaped by the interplay of nature, science, memory, and identity, with a deep interest in how the past and present inform one another. Originally trained as an engineer, Saranya’s work reflects a dynamic blend of analytical curiosity and creative expression. Through painting, drawing, and mixed media collage, she invites viewers to engage with the quiet details of their own stories, evoking nostalgia, introspection, and a sense of connection across time.