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Artworks
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup:courtesy of artist and Kavi Gupta gallery
Suchitra Mattai Guyana, b. 1973
two are better than one, 2023Gouache, acrylic, oil, and faux gems16 x 16 in
40.6 x 40.6 cm8800The two figures in this work by Suchitra Mattai are representative of the duality experienced by people who exist in multiple simultaneous spheres—either because of their ancestral background, their personal...The two figures in this work by Suchitra Mattai are representative of the duality experienced by people who exist in multiple simultaneous spheres—either because of their ancestral background, their personal identity, or perhaps because they live with a mental illness. Says Mattai, who has dealt with all of these dualities and more, “People are always saying having mental illness can be a superpower because it allows you to do things others can’t, if it doesn’t kill you.” This image plays with the idea of existing within multiple cultural spheres; living in one skin at home, and another in the outside world. The jewel encrusted horizon suggests enlightenment or spirituality, a kind of reconciliation manifesting a paradigm in which two really is better than one. This piece belongs to a series Mattai debuted in 2023, memorializing super heroines as embodiments of feminine empowerment.4of 4