RINSE & REPEAT

‘Rinse and Repeat’ brings together a group of eight Indian women artists living and working in London – Alamelu Annamalai, Meghana Gavireddygari, Shivangi Ladha, Smriti Mehra, Vasundhara Sellamuthu, Divya Sharma, Asha Vaidyanath, and Darshana Vora. Works on view include a diverse range of media including sculpture, print, painting, installation, fibre, video and performance.

Speaking to larger themes of place and belonging, the exhibition space is framed as an active site for collective reflection and reinterpretation. References to repetition and labour echo across works and the public programme, inviting visitors to contemplate on rhythms and cycles in everyday life.

The artists’ practices draw on physical and temporal distances from homeland, examining layered and intersectional aspects of identity. Annamalai reinterprets traditional art forms in a contemporary context. Gavireddygari investigates childhood memory through painting, printmaking, and sculpture. Ladha’s art navigates social, political, and ecological landscapes. Mehra utilises ethnographic research in her video practice, touching on labour and material culture. Sellamuthu explores cross-cultural hierarchies through relief paintings and sign making. As a textile artist, Sharma works with themes related to diaspora and displacement. Vaidyanath’s text and textile work archive the intangible, intrinsic, sometimes contradictory process of repetition. Vora’s conceptual work references the spatial fabric of the city – its rituals, processes and imagery.

‘Rinse and Repeat’ is supported by Hypha Studios and situated in Sugar House Island – a new canal-side neighbourhood in the heart of Stratford, East London.

Public Programme

As diasporic women artists, the group seeks to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere for the local community with:

Indian Standard Time (IST) – FILM SCREENINGS

Saturdays 30th June, 6th July, 14th July 2-3pm

Darshana Vora has been documenting the daily activities of people in public places as a way to understand time in its uniquely Indian manifestations. Rather than clock-time, these visual-diary captures are a composite of place, memory and stillness – observations in movement of people that echo mental frameworks that make her feel ‘at home’. The films will be screened intermittently throughout the day. Visitors are invited to write/record their observations of the films as a way of relating/ sensing what ‘IST’ means to them.

Word Music – A Parasitic Reading Public session

Saturdays 30th June, 6th July, 14th July 2-3pm

Join us in SugarHouse Gallery 2 for an informal reading group – Pick up a text, read aloud/over/in- between/with..creating a texture of words and silences – listening to and voicing words by interesting cultural authors that relate to urban culture, places, spaces, the everyday and most of all, you and me. Reading extracts will be provided.

Tracing Home – Collage workshops

Thursdays 4th and 11th July 12-6pm

Get ready to unleash your artistic side and create stunning collages that will leave everyone in awe.

Participating artists Shivangi and Meghana are the lead for a fun-filled afternoon of creativity at our in-person event! ‘Tracing Home’ is a monoprint workshop designed for children and young adults. It is designed to be a ‘drop in’ session between 12 and 6 pm. This hands-on workshop encourages you to explore your persona;l connection to home and memory through creating unique prints using everyday household objects.

(Remembering Home) – Live Reading

Fridays 5th, 12th, 19th July, 4:45 – 5:30pm

Live reading from her memoir in progress – “With Papa In Smriti”

With these writings, Smriti embarks upon remembrance, which is also the meaning of her name. She ventures into this territory in an attempt to not leave unnoticed the deep imprints of those closest to her. She acknowledges that her memories are fraught with biases, gaps, fictions and fact but what she attempts to stay true to is the emotion paired with the fragments of memory and a newer understanding of her relationships.

Chai n Chat

Saturday 6th July, 4 – 5pm

Join them for a unique in-person event at SugarHouse Gallery 2 for ‘Chai n Chat’ where they will delve into discussions about home, journeys and belonging. This engaging discussion will feature a walk-through of the show. Enjoy a cup of Chai as you immerse yourself in these enriching conversations and explore the art on display.

Ephemeral Kolam

Sunday 14th July, 4 – 6pm

Join us for a unique performance and workshop event led by artists Alamelu and Vasu, where you will discover the ancient folk art of ‘Kolam’ originating from South India. Kolam is a traditional decorative art form, involving intricate geometric patterns drawn with rice flour on a grid of dots.

Artist Panel Interview and Finissage

Saturday 3rd August

This final event hosted by Mary George is planned to be an insightful artist panel interview featuring the participating artists. This session will provide a deep dive into their inspirations, creative processes, and personal journeys. Following the panel, enjoy the Finissage, a closing celebration of the show, providing a final opportunity to engage with the artists and their works.