Varanasi Nights Painting

Erica Prasad is a storyteller, weaving narrative through vibrant strokes of oil paint and emotion-provoking installations. As an Indian girl from Missouri, her artistic journey began as curiosity about the larger world. She first explored new worlds at SLU, graduating in 2017 with a BA in Theology and Studio Art. After graduating, she backpacked the world for three years before finding her home and consistent art practice in Austin, TX. Guided by her nomadic spirit and insatiable curiosity, Erica draws inspiration from the humans and spaces encountered in her life and travels. The images portrayed are deeply personal, yet her work is familiar. It is a testament to the universal language of human emotion. Erica unveiled her first solo exhibition “Connection” in 2021. She shared a body of work profoundly hers- one that told the story of her family’s journey to immigrate from India. Building upon this, she began to push boundaries with “Liminal Space,” her second solo show in 2022. Featuring an immersive painting installation, and exploring themes of love and loss, she invited the viewer to step into her grief, allowing vulnerability to be our collective healer. Erica's art is an experience that draws viewers to journey past the visual, to inhabit worlds both familiar and surreal. With a commitment to art that ignites her soul, she endeavors to create work that challenges our perceptions of vulnerability and celebrates the beauty inherent in our shared human experience. Artist Statement: I capture tender moments of ordinary life. My work is a contemplative exploration of the intimate ties that bind us, reminding us of our shared humanity. Drawing inspiration from personal experiences, but often painted weeks or years after they have occurred, I carefully filter real imagery through the surreal landscape of imagination and my own memory. The foundation for my work stems from an insatiable curiosity for why things are the way they are. I typically create art in a series, applying a microscope to a singular experience, place or feeling, in order to process its complexity fully. The color palette often reflects the emotional resonance of the experience and I like to choose subjects that wrap the viewer in an embrace of familiarity. This is in hope that my work encourages the viewer to unearth their own personal narratives and embark on an introspective journey alongside my own.