Rajyashri was selected as an artist from India for the ‘Women to Watch 2024’ exhibition at the National Museum for Women in the Arts in Washington DC. We spoke to her to know more about her journey, learnings and future plans.

What was the experience of the residency at Rijksakademie like? What have been your big learnings from it?

It has been a year since I completed the residency, and I really enjoyed it. What I especially liked was the length of it – two-year-long intensive residencies are rare, and especially helpful in the case of artists like me who don’t have a formal art background.

The space it offered to focus on work and the fantastic access to advisors, artists and writers who critique that work was something I really appreciated. The incredible facilities, research spaces and workshops, along with the exposure to a peer group of 30-40 practicing artists from around the world was also really special.

Your work was recently featured as part of the exhibition ‘Women to Watch 2024’ at the National Museum for Women in the Arts. Can you tell us a bit more about the event and your contribution to it?

The Museum has committees from different countries, and I was chosen by the India committee to exhibit my work. I presented a ceramic installation based on my ongoing research in food and caste. The exhibition was on for four months, and it was interesting to be with artists from around the world. My work is not particularly ‘gendered’, and I appreciated that the museum let me express myself without a restriction in that sense.

What have been some of the challenges and highs of your professional journey so far?

I’m sure all artists go through their share of challenges, and mine has always been that desire to push the boundaries every time I see a body of work I have completed. That feeling of ‘wanting to do something better’ is always there, and it motivates me for the next piece of work.

For me, a big high is people spending time with my work, not necessarily always appreciating it, but taking the time to soak it in and share their views. That it struck a chord with them is always special.

What are some themes and ideas that you’d like to explore in the future?

Right now, I have just completed a residency in Paris with Art Explora, and have begun research around symbols of resistance in ceramics and the role they have played in the big revolutions across the ages. Through that, I’d like to explore symbols of Dalit resistance and how I can adapt them to ceramics. That’s something that interests me deeply.

What advice would you like to give someone who is interested in pursuing a career in art?

For me, not knowing much about the dynamics of the art world actually worked in my favour, in the sense that I took more risks and wasn’t afraid of failing. So yeah, taking chances and going all out is really helpful.

I also make my art for myself, I’m looking to learn from it myself – so I’d say create work that resonates with you and only then will it resonate with others.