Kirtika Kain (India / Australia)

Museum of Contemporary Art

Kirtika Kain is a Delhi-born Australian artist working on Dharug land. Her practice reflects her experiences in the Dalit diaspora and is influenced by her family archive and the history of anti-caste literature and song. Her studio practice connects to the maternal ancestor through the use of materials including pigments, wax, sindoor, human hair, charcoal, gold and tar, reclaiming their traditional religiosity. The quality of timeless silence and sacredness that these materials uphold are central in her work. Kain’s visual representations tell a story of personal and collective histories, reflecting on the vastness and dimensionality of Dalit being.

Commissioned by the Biennale of Sydney with generous assistance from Create NSW and the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.