touch-me-not
Pooja V.
Acrylic Paint, Oil Pastel
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During a visit to India, my grandmother showed me something that would stick with me for years: the fragile, elusive touch-me-not plant, scientifically known as “mimosa pudica.” Its remarkable self-defensive mechanism, where it curls its leaves inwards when touched, resonated immensely with my own tendency to avoid conflict. Growing up, I often found myself conforming to others, much like the touch-me-not expends energy to withdraw from predators, and later realized I should stand up for myself more. My artistic journey captures my transformation of this mindset, symbolized by the relentless ocean waves threatening to wash away the touch-me-not. Since I’ve always been intrigued by the ocean's ability to erase and shape the shore, I juxtaposed this ocean with the ethereal touch-me-not, creating a scene that encapsulates the serenity of moving on from past ideals. My work also reflects my fading connection to my Indian heritage, with waves of change symbolizing the cultural deterioration my American environment causes. Every time my parents and I engage in a “puja”(prayer), which I am named after, a small part of me feels that the act is foreign. Whenever my parents speak of Indian delicacies from their childhood, it all just feels like nostalgia I had never known. My art helps me explore my identity in ways that words simply cannot, with the sublime quality of my work mirroring the beauty I find in it. My artistic process, above all, encapsulates my multifaceted personal growth, cultural identity, and the shifting tides of life itself.
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Creativity, to me, is synonymous with humanity itself. As someone that is a self-taught painter and a trained classical flautist, creativity has become integral to my own identity; It's what I live for. Creativity is not an extension of the self or arbitrary, impressive-looking art, it truly is the self.
