As part of the FotoFest 2010 Biennial, Priya Kambli will present her solo exhibition, Colors Fall Down at The H Gallery in Houston, TX.

Priya Kambli was born and raised in India and moved to the United States at the age of 18.  She began her artistic career in the United States, and her work has always been informed by her experience as a migrant. Kambli’s photographs express the transience and split cultural identity caused by the act of migration.

“Recently in my artwork I have been viewing this issue through the lens of my own personal history and cultural identity. My move from India to the United States 13 years ago left me feeling that I do not belong fully to either culture leaving me unable to anchor myself in any particular cultural framework.”

“This disconnection from both cultures has changed the way I perceive myself by forming a hybrid identity, a patching together of two cultures within one person. Photography has been a way of bridging the gap between the two cultures while coming to terms with my dual nature. Ironically, because photography appears to be “true”, it allows me to create convincing fictional depictions of my new identity. My digital photographs reflect the tension caused due to the duality by piecing together fragmented images and by mingling family snapshots with carefully staged imagery. ” -Priya Kambli 

PHOTO: Copyright Priya Kambli 

FotoFest 2010 Biennial 

FotoFest® created the first international Biennial of Photography and Photo-related Art in the United States. FotoFest ® is an international non-profit photographic arts and education organization based in Houston, Texas.

See the calendar of FotoFest 2010 Biennial events from March 12th – April 25th. Photographers who can make it should sign up for the festival’s Meeting Place portfolio review featuring 160 international arts professionals participating. The registration fee is pricey at $820 for this 4-day session but artists are guaranteed at least 4 formal reviews per day along with informal meetings.

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