Stitching together fragments of fabric, I use mending as a form of storytelling. Each piece carries an emotional weight that reflects the fluidity of identity and memory. I explore personal mythology by constructing a unique visual language developed through the experience of being a Sri Lankan immigrant in America.
With my collage-like tapestries and soft sculptures, I engage color, materiality, and humor to disarm viewers. I am drawn to materials that evoke familiarity and comfort. My work takes shape through textile appliqué, dyes, paint, beading, stitching, braided fabric, felt, and fiber fill. The textures I utilize recall the feel of a childhood blanket, a favorite sweater, or a pillow to rest on. My works vary in theme, depicting family, spirituality, desire, and the everyday while expressing a sense of self shaped by migration and diaspora.
Aruni Dharmakirthi is a Sri Lankan-American artist and educator based in New York City. Dharmakirthi received an MFA in Visual Studies from the Pacific Northwest College of Art and a BA in Studio Art and Art History from Florida State University.