Unspeakable:
2019, Oil paint, 14 X 18
My artwork depicts the challenging transition and assimilation to life in a new country and culture for a refugee. The enlarged teardrop at the bottom portrays a memory of dangers and threats to her life as her house is burning down due to a war, which is why many refugees need to leave their home country in search of a safer haven. The hijab that she wears is a symbol of her culture and traditions, while the fenced patterned on it represents both the detention centers where immigrants are processed and the difficulties of integrating their native culture with American culture. It is called unspeakable in reference to the horrors that refugees must witness that are almost incomprehensible to the normal public. This work calls for people to recognize and try to understand the hardships that refugees face so that American citizens can help to welcome them and guide them in the process of assimilation into American culture while also enriching their own perspectives by hearing the stories of the lives and traditions of the refugees.
The Golden Cup:
2018, Oil paint, 14 X 18
This painting showcases one of my first Kuchipudi dance performances. I want to use art, such as this, to spread cultural awareness and encourage diversity.
Pure Joy:
2019, Oil paint, 14 X 18
The painting depicts the Indian festival of Holi: the festival of colors and the arrival of spring. I wanted to use the burst of colors to signify the feelings of joy, as well as the tradition of the holiday.
About the artist: Niha Burugapalli is an 18-year-old visual artist from Connecticut. She is currently in high school and plans to be heavily involved in art in college. She uses her artwork to depict important events in her life as well as to celebrate and bring cultural awareness through her paintings. Her art is also a form of activism, drawing attention to society’s pivotal problems to enact positive change. She has won first place in the Congressional Art Competition and has her work displayed in the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. She has won several awards in the Scholastic Arts Competition and exhibited her work in several local art galleries. She also uses her paintings to fundraise for the Thirst Project, connecting her to families in Africa as selling her art can help them gain access to safe drinking water. Through art, she’s even experientially demonstrated that it’s never too late to learn something new, challenging ageism and combating society’s negative perception of the elderly by teaching guided painting sessions to people in nursing homes who may not have painted since middle school. Art’s healing properties led her to connect with patients in rehabilitation units of hospitals as she teaches them to paint, helping them discover this stress-relieving technique. She hopes to keep finding innovative ideas to help people through her art.
