Acrylic Painting
Gauri Torgalkar
Gauri Torgalkar is a visual artist of Indian origin working on Wallumettegal land (Ryde, Sydney), reimagining the Australian landscape through an Indian lens.
Artist Profile
Gauri Torgalkar is a visual artist of Indian origin based in Sydney, re-imagining Australian landscape as altered through the lens of personal memory and inspired by narratives including Indian textiles, folklore & miniature painting. As an artist who has relocated several times (India, USA & Australia), her practice explores the intrinsic need of immigrants to make cultural associations in new communities. Gauri’s work aims to bring her Indian aesthetic into the Australian contemporary art conversation and contribute to the perceptions of this land and its complex cultural narratives.
Artist Interview
What medium do you work with, and why have you chosen them?
Drawing forms the basis of my practice, and with a background in architecture, I have been drawing for most of my adult life. Drawing for me is exciting, no matter the tools – charcoal, pencil, fude pens and Japanese brushes, love 'em all! And for painting, my go-to medium is acrylic, an obvious choice as I have a little boy and my studio is a small room under my house. However, I use mediums with acrylic paint to extend the drying time so that I can get the desired effect. Another favourite surface for me is handmade Japanese washi paper. I discovered raw linen surfaces to paint on over a year ago, and I don’t think I can ever go back. This surface reminds me of Indian handlooms and it helps me best achieve the results I want.
How does your artwork get from initial concept to exhibition stage?
Almost all pictures start as drawings. Most of my artworks involve a long process of building up thin layers in acrylic alternating between horizontal strokes and vertical strokes. I predominantly use transparent colours so the new layers can interact with the layers below to build up colour. This helps create a fabric-like effect. There is a lot of scraping, brushing, and removing paint as well. Sometimes I also incorporate ikkat or other South Asian motifs, gold foil or translucent gold lines.
Can you tell us a little more about your creative working environment/studio?
My studio is a small room under my house. But I don't always paint inside it. Most of the time, I paint in my driveway, especially large artworks. To me, a studio is a state of mind, and when I sit to draw or paint, whether it is my backyard or even my kitchen table, it becomes my studio.
Career Highlights
- Gauri's project ‘Diwali Bloom’ won the Create NSW Small Projects Grant in 2021. Diwali Bloom included an exhibition and a community event which was supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW Small Projects Grant and by Cumberland City Council through additional funding and in-kind support.
- Gauri won the Greenway Art Prize in 2015 and her artworks have been shown in several prestigious exhibitions in Sydney including the Greenway Art Prize (which she won in 2015), Adelaide Perry Prize, Blacktown Art Prize, and overseas at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland, USA.
- Her work is held in public and private collections in Australia, India and the United States, including commissions for health institutions in Western Sydney.
