Kali Retold
2020, Japanese cotton, beeswax, dye, acrylic, found fabric, 77 x 70 x 1 ch in.
Rakhee Jain Desai is an interdisciplinary artist whose work creates dialogue about the immigrant identity, integration experience and belonging. Her current body of work utilizes the centuries-old, wax-resist textile technique, Batik. The combination of Batik, an Eastern craft, with traditionally Western mediums (encaustic, oils and acrylics) is a signature process that aptly communicates her South Asian American identity. Rakhee has exhibited across the USA, Singapore and Portugal. She was selected as a featured artist for the Imago Mundi Benetton Foundation—representing Singapore's contemporary art in the 21st Century & Beyond. She was the first cohort recipient of the Tempo2D program by the City of Austin Art in Public Places. The Batik mural named A Place To Call Home is now on permanent view at the Austin Bergstrom International Airport.