Sunaina Talreja (Pakistan, Italy)

//BIO

Hailing from a small town in Pakistan, a visual artist, and fashion student, Talreja worked as an art therapist and art instructor. My artwork takes a critical view of social, religious and cultural issues. Often referencing Sub-continent, minority and immigrants my work explores the varying relationships between popular culture and fine art. Having engaged subjects as diverse as the social justice, point to stereotypes, and history of modernity, my work reproduces familiar visual and aural signs, arranging them into new conceptually layered installations. 

Sunaina holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering and technology (CEAD, 2018). She also studied performing arts in Academia di belle arti Roma, where she got her MA (2022). She completed a residency in Liguria, where she was a part of ARCA75 project. During 2022 Sunaina was also very active in her solo and group performances. She made her solo projet called «Sacred & Beyond» in Full Circle Gallery and participated in «OSS DI BOSCO» (ARCA75) and «IFIF» (directed by Artist Emily Mast at Villa Medici).

//ARTIST STATEMENT

My present project is about how minorities within minorities face challenges, coming from my own experience as a minority in Pakistan and Europe has led me to question my own identity. I intend to work with local community and Russian minority. With new methods and techniques I plan to look at the integration of traditional sensibilities into modern visuality, natural and situational behaviors, damaged relation of mind and body, clothes and body, body and land, highlighting the sense of place basically people-place relationships and is illustrated through how or why people depend on, attach to, identify with, and attribute meaning to place, to the country and neighborhoods.

//EXPERIENCE AT NART