Riya Chandwani is an artist based in Mumbai. She recently completed her Master’s degree program in painting from Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai. Riya was born on 10 March 1995 in Katni(Madhya Pradesh).

Her work focuses on displacement, longing, historical lineage, tradition, communal violence, and the ideas of femininity. It is about the transition from one time to another, one land to another. Through traditional idioms, she portrays the grim reality and violence of life.

Her practice encompasses drawing, painting, paper burn as well as installation through figurative works that explore issues of race, class and gender. She hopes to embody the stories of those that have been historically ignored, forgotten and marginalised .

Her practice deals with memories of the Partition carried across generations in her family, which is originally from Sindh (now in Pakistan). The memories and fears that have been brought to this place and time are visible in Sindhi culture today. This wound of migration that has led to generational trauma collides with gender as a social structure.

Education

• MFA (Fine Art) Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai University, Mumbai (2022–2024)
• BFA (Fine Art) Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai University, Mumbai (2018–2022)