Grishma, a self-taught painter immersed in culture from her South Asian roots, pursued careers in psychology and public health while also engaging her true passion in the visual arts. Working in multiple mediums, Grishma’s painting style goes beyond traditional elements. Through her use of texture and asymmetry she tells stories, probing audiences to reflect upon traditional standards of beauty and worth through themes of gender, disability, religous and societal identity, aiming to hold space for deeper introspection and intentional conversation.
When Grishma was a child she fell in love with the world of storytelling through Bollywood and Hollywood movies. Love, spituality, community, friendship, were elements she grew up painting. When she became a cancer patient at the age of sixteen, and an amputee by age eighteen, Grishma awakened to a new world, a world that could not accept her with her new (disabled) body. Disheartened and frustrated, she constantly explored why both her cultures felt uncomfortable and at times were unkind to the identity of disability. In 2018, she compiled an audio dissertation of her findings. She hopes through her artstry to change how stories about disability are told, because when stories about disability change, so will the understanding and experiences of disability.
In 2021, Grishma received a 3Arts/Bodies of Work Residency Fellowship Award where she facilitated spirited conversations with community members about legacy. In 2022, the 3Arts Disability Culture Leadership Initiative Series invited Grishma for an artist talk. In the talk, Grishma explains how beauty and power in feminism can be a form of activism that dismantles harmful and outdated narratives, while supporting collective action and healing. Grishma's artwork has been exhibited at The Devonshire Culture Center, The South Asian Institute, The Harold Washington Library, The Skokie Public Library, The Chicago Symphony Center, Wentz Concert Hall/Fine Arts Center, The Chicago Cultural Center and Navy Pier, to name a few.
Click here to read and click here to hear more about her unique journey as a storyteller.
Featured Artworks
A collage of mixed media paintings of women.
Exhibit of "A South Asian Perspective"
A living document in artistic form, "A South Asian Perspective" shares experiences of South Asian culture, gender norms and disability.
Multiple artwork from "A South Asian Perspective" decorate a gallery wall.
A young white boy is deep in thought as he looks at a painting of a young girl of color. She is wearing ethnic clothing and is smiling with her eyes closed as she is dreaming of the adventures she will have. Perhaps they share similar dreams.
ADI SHAKTI from the "Cognitive Dissonance" Exhibit
Cognitive Dissonance is an exhibit which holds space for competing ideas that exist in the world we live in. The above painting is of a Hindu goddess, ADI SHAKTI. She is shown having three arms (left image). The same painting when slightly angled (right image) shows remnants of a fourth arm. This artwork asks us to explore our relationship with disability. Does the new identity of disability change our original opinion about the Goddess?
Paintings from the "Cognitive Dissonance" Exhibit
Three paintings explore various intersecting identities.
(Left) a robotic arm, a woman aging (Middle) and a yogi with a leg prosthesis (Right)
A Flyer of a Virtual Event called "Legacy & Lasting Impressions".
As a 3Arts/Bodies of Work fellow, Grishma invites the community to converse with her about Legacies & Lasting Impressions. ​Questions to explore: Do disabled artists consider their legacy when creating new work? How will society remember us? How do we want to be remembered?
"Desi & Disabled" Podcast Dissertation
Twelve storytellers explore how South Asian culture impacts their sense of worth and belonging.