ARTIST STATEMENT
Working with sculpture, advanced technology, and performance, I investigate in my practice the dynamic relationship between the body and memory. I study how the human body becomes a living document, storing tension, movement patterns, and emotion over the course of a lifetime. Having served as a palliative caregiver in my family, I further examine the way the body is transformed through illness, grief, and interdependence, carrying the compounded memories of each. In my research, I draw from the theory and praxis of narrative medicine, centering the personal voice in medical healing processes, from diagnostic inquiry through holistic care. In my artistic production, I lean heavily on my background in dance and 3D graphics as I create works that explore the intimacies of the body and its ongoing transformations. In my performance works, I weave together visceral movement with operatic vocalizations, Graham technique, and yoga nidra to excavate embodied memories. In my sculpture practice, I use 3D modeling software, antique scientific drafting methods, and South Asian theology, iconography, and ceremony in my attempt to visualize internal landscapes. Interrogating the relationships between contemporary Western medicine and South Asian traditional medicine, I attempt to reimagine sites of care and to examine the ways Hindu and Buddhist spiritual architecture can both honor and heal the body in motion. My artwork and research is ultimately an attempt to understand the resilience and malleability of the body, and to find ways to continuously support its inner healing mechanisms.
ABOUT
Smita Sen is an artist working with sculpture, dance-based performance, and advanced technology to research how the body internalizes its environment and significant life events. Sen has had solo exhibitions at Recess (2021), the Brooklyn Public Library (2022), Drew University (2023), and the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami (2024-25). Her work has been performed and exhibited at venues around the world, including The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Frost Art Museum, Socrates Sculpture Park, the New World Center, the Aspen Ideas Festival, the Knockdown Center, and Anthology Film Archives, among others. Sen’s artwork and research have been supported by institutions including NEW INC, the New Museum’s incubator; Recess; Oolite Arts; the Bakehouse Arts Complex; and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. She is a recipient of the Dance Miami Choreographers Award (2023), the Oolite Ellies Creator Award (2022), and the Instigator Fellowship from NYU ITP Camp (2018). An educator, Sen believes in the power of a collaborative classroom and has taught and designed the Emerging Media program at Choate Rosemary Hall; taught introductory and advanced design technology classes at the Parsons School of Design, The New School; and adapted advanced tools for elementary curricula at KLA Academy. She leads Miami-based arts education nonprofit, the Manipura Care Network.
As a designer, Sen has worked for Discovery Communications, Ralph Appelbaum Associates, and the Urban Design Lab at Columbia University. Sen holds a BA in the Visual Arts (Magna Cum Laude) from Columbia University (2016). She is based in Miami, Florida and New York City.
SELECTED PRESS & TEXTS
Smita Sen's 'Embodied' at MOCA North Miami Documents the Intangible, Sophie Bress (The Observer, 2024).
A Guide to the Best Shows in Miami, Monica Uszerowicz (Frieze, 2024).
Twelve Must-See Exhibitions in South Florida During Miami Art Week, Angeleti et. al (The Art Newspaper, 2024).
Smita Sen Makes Performance Art Relatable at MOCA, Mario Rodriguez (Miami New Times, 2024).
A Local’s Guide to Miami Art Week, Salomé Gómez-Upegui (Gagosian Quarterly, 2024).
New Creative Possibilities Between Museums and Dance Artists, Rachel Rizzuto (Dance Magazine, 2024).
Dance Performances, Festivals, and More Coming this Fall, Margaret Fuhrer (The New York Times, 2024).
Between Earth and Body: Standing at the Shore with Smita Sen, Olisa Tasie-Amadi (Oroko Radio, 2024).
Visual Arts Practices for Invisible Illnesses, Ryan Woodring (International Journal of Education & the Arts, 2024).
Miami Vibe: What's On This Winter, Otugor and Saint (The Financial Times, 2024).
What to See in Miami During the Fair, Claire Breukel (Art Basel, 2024).
The Ultimate Guide to Art Basel Miami Beach 2024, Ariana Marsh (Harper’s Bazaar, 2024).
Emergent Emergency Strategies: 11 Takes on Collective Abundance (Deem Journal, 2023).
The Manipura Sanctum and the Practice of Care, Rachel Remick (Recess, 2021).