Graduate Student Perspectives on South Asian Art

This event showcases graduate students from the art history program (College of Arts and Sciences); the photography and illustration program (College of Visual and Performing Arts); and the multimedia, photography and design program (Newhouse) who will discuss works of art from the Syracuse University Art Museum collections in relation to their own writing, research and art-making practices. Professor Romita Ray (Art and Music Histories) will moderate the discussion in collaboration with Melissa Yuen, Ph.D. and Kate Holohan, Ph.D. (Syracuse University Art Museum).

Antara Roy is a second-year graduate student in the Department of Art and Music Histories, focusing her research on South Asian textiles. She is currently working on her master’s capstone paper, which investigates a 4,000-year-old block-printing tradition of the Indus Valley Civilization. In addition to her studies, Antara serves as co-president of the George Fisk Comfort Society of Art History.

Md Minhajul Abedin is a visual artist from Bangladesh living in Syracuse, New York. He uses photography, archives and text to explore complex social issues and historical events. His work delves into South Asian colonial history, place, identity, self-portraiture and anthropocene. Abedin’s work encourages viewers to engage with pressing socio-political events by drawing on personal and collective memories. 

Md Zobayer Hossain Joati, also known as Zobayer Joti, is a Bangladeshi photographer based in Syracuse, New York. His work focuses on various social crises, gender equality, cultural norms and underrepresented communities, comprising intimate human stories that investigate social and cultural challenges and their emotional dimensions.

Praagya Khand is a first-year M.A. student in art history in the Department of Art and Music Histories. He is interested in researching the Company Paintings in Nepal, a sub-field in nascent stages, to explicate the imperial forces that sought to visually subdue a country that had long been an interest of the British Raj to annex into its territory.

Sanjana Sharma is a New York-based Illustrator and printmaker. Her artistic practice uses visual storytelling to explore cultural and social questions, presenting familiar ideas in unexpected ways. She believes art can provoke thought, challenge stereotypes and amplify marginalized voices, aiming to reframe and celebrate overlooked narratives through her work.