Mary Martin Galleries of Fine Art

Priya Rama's art is born from her chronic migraines. When one begins, along with the pain and pressure, colors and shapes appear in her mind's eye. These get transformed into hyperchromatic paintings of identity, resilience, and tenacity. An abstract expressionist, her paintings highlight a spontaneous, intuitive, and personal mark-making, with rich color and palpable texture. Her paintings especially explore dualities-- of pain/beauty, emphatic color/delicate brush lines, rich details/quiet resting spots, spontaneity/deliberate placement, translucency/opacity, and contemplation/assertion.

Priya Rama's works often feature reference points from her cultural background and upbringing: dots and circles from Tamil 'kolam', vibrant colors of cultural and physical surroundings, motifs of traditional fabrics, and layers of the past intertwining with the present. The artist’s paintings can be found in private and corporate collections around the country. She has also been interviewed for multiple print and online publications, as well as regional and national media including an interview for CBS’ ‘Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley.” Priya Rama is represented by Mary Martin Galleries in Charleston, SC.

Fine Arts Education

2012-14 Doctoral Studies, ABD, Arts Administration, Education and Policy
The Ohio State University

2012 MA Visual Arts Education
University of Cincinnati

1998 BFA Communication Arts and Design
Virginia Commonwealth University

Artist Statement

My art, like my life, revolves around my chronic migraines. When a migraine comes on, even with my eyes closed, I "see" things. Colors and shapes flood my mind in fluid poetry. These mystical images recede, shift, radiate and pulse, becoming more vibrant and vivid as time goes on. Frequently, I paint through a migraine, trying to quickly tap into what I see. When I can't, I am able to recall the imagery at a later time and commit that to canvas.

Each piece I create evolves from a meditative and introspective process, wherein I become one with my art: it is being aware in that moment, being mindful, acknowledging the pain and chaos, and losing myself to the visual symphony that unfolds. Some notes are peaceful, while others are discordant.

My paintings especially explore dualities-- of pain/beauty, emphatic color/delicate brush lines, rich details/quiet resting spots, spontaneity/deliberate placement, translucency/opacity, and contemplation/assertion.

I train myself to paint through the painful discomfort: My breathing slows down, my jaw unclenches, and my body slowly begins to relax. Often, completing a painting comes as a relief, and reminds me that my mind can do more than just process pain: it can transform pain into beauty.

I think of myself as an abstract expressionist, with my paintings highlighting a spontaneous, intuitive and personal mark-making. Even though I wouldn't call my paintings portraits, all of my works are self-portraits in a way. My art is part of me, and I am part of my art. My paintings emerge from within. They are part of an ongoing conversation with myself that I have had since my childhood.