Reflecting on our Pandemic Experience - How Mixed Media Artist Niloufer Moochhala Tells Stories Through Found Objects
“I try and break out of the expected by looking ‘outside’ - signage on the streets, an old family photograph, a scenic moment outdoors, an inspiring museum exhibit” This past spring, today’s woman dreamer, Niloufer Moochhala beautifully brought the thoughts and sentiments of her community (town government, front-line workers, small business owners and more) to life through an installation art piece, displayed at Arlington Center. An inspiring mixed media artist with a dynamic career in the creative world, Nilou recieved her MFA from Yale, has been featured in Boston and New York, and has interned at renowned cultural institutions like the Smithsonian and Sotheby’s. Enjoy Nilou’s artistic journey!
1.Please walk us through the journey of your life and how and why you decided to pursue Fine Arts?
I grew up in Bombay/Mumbai and attended school there till I was 18. My parents were open-minded and encouraged my interest in drawing and painting from a very young age. There were always trips to stock up on good art supplies and to have a sketchbook handy. Through my teenage years, I trained with a well-respected Indian woman artist on a weekly basis after school was done. I also studied art intensively in high school (ICSE) as one of my main subjects.
I came to Mount Holyoke College (one of the oldest women's college in the US) to pursue a B.A. in Studio Art. During the college summers, I did several design-related internships with the Smithsonian Museum, New Museum & and Sotheby's, which made me realize that design could be a pathway to a creative profession. I ended up attending the Yale School of Art for an MFA in Graphic Design. It was a rigorous program with numerous experimental classes that often crossed the boundary between art and design, theory and practice, traditional and modern. Criticism and feedback were routine daily occurrences, whether given by peers or faculty.
That exposure has influenced my work very strongly to this day. Whatever project I take on, I try and break away from the ‘expected’ to offer a different lens and/or new perspective.
2. Your artwork has been featured not only in Boston and it's surrounding areas, but also in New York, etc. Tell us about your passion for Art and how it has evolved over the years.
My passion for art and design is constantly evolving! One of the challenges as I continually face as both an artist and designer – is to keep things visually and conceptually interesting. It is not about a specific formula to create with, but how each piece takes on its own messaging?
Some ways that I try and break out of the expected is to look ’outside’ - signage on the streets, an old family photograph, a scenic moment outdoors, an inspiring museum exhibit. I want to create pieces that are intellectually provocative and beautiful, but also accessible and precise. To keep this attitude, I consciously make myself exist in a space of experimentation that lets me meander between art and design.
3. Your heartfelt work "Reflecting on our Pandemic Experience : A 2021 Public Art Project '' has been showcased in the Arlington Center and has been covered by WBUR, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Wicked Local and more. What was the inspiration behind this artwork and what is the message you hope to get out to the community and world?
Beginning on March 13, 2020, I began a daily meditative drawing practice which continued for a year. At a time of chaos, fear, uncertainty, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, this practice offered a way to process and portray the emotional, mental, and physical feelings of living under lockdown. Using abstract mark making, expressive color and texture, the rhythm of shapes and movement of lines, I sought to document a specific moment in time; the collection of 365 drawings became an archive of a pandemic year.
As a Spring 2021 Artist-in-Residence for the Arlington Commission for Arts and Culture, I developed a powerful complementary body of work: 50 sketches drawn in response to the community pandemic stories of diverse Arlingtonians. I interviewed leaders in town government that ranged from the Town Manager to the Fire Chief. I reached out to front-line workers, teachers, medical professionals, local business owners, and engineers. I spoke to students, working parents, and retired seniors. Some of the stories I heard were heart-breaking – but most were inspiring accounts of resiliency, compassion, and humanity.
The centerpiece of Reflecting on our Pandemic Experience is a major installation in one of Arlington’s most beautiful green spaces, a rustic park which offered respite and sanctuary for many during the pandemic. 100 meditation flags are suspended in this grove; 50 drawings from my original Virus Series complement the 50 new drawings created in response to the pandemic experiences of others through these community interviews, so that visitors can engage in peaceful contemplation and healing.
The installation is inspired by prayer flags used by many cultures to promote peace and strength. Each separate flag illuminates a particular aspect of the pandemic, a unique story. Experienced together as a whole, one senses the interconnectedness of all of our individual experiences and stories during this strange time of shared isolation.
(Reflecting on our Pandemic Experience (http://artsarlington.org/programs/nilou-moochhala/) is on view through October 2021.
4. What is your favorite form of Art and what are some different mediums your work with?
As a student, I have always gravitated towards 19th & 20th century art: Impressionism, Abstract Expressionism, Surrealism, Post Modernism and everything that came in-between them and after…
As a visual practitioner, although previously working with watercolor and digital prints, recently I have turned to sculpture as a new medium. For My Very Own Suitcase Series (https://tinyurl.com/5achd963) I created assemblage installations in 10 vintage suitcases about what it means to be a South Asian woman artist. I really enjoyed texturality of this work and hope to pursue it further.
5. What is a personal and / or professional dream that you look forward to achieving?
Over the past decade, my visual practice has been channeled into examining issues of cross-cultural change and transformation. How can we address this space ‘in-between” – the shift in narrative that we experience as we cross between different “real” or imagined” spaces: whether it is our country, our culture, our sense of identity, or ourselves.
I have been inspired to juxtapose images, memorabilia, and use of language to create personal, social and/or political narratives to address this – be it in public art commissions or private galleries. The initial pieces have explored a surface-level reality – but going deeper into this idea and body of work feels meaningful and necessary right now as we emerge (hopefully) from a post-COVID existence.
Thank you Nilou for sharing your story with us! We are excited to have you in our global women’s network!
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