Smita Sen

press roundup :: deep in my feelings // gratitude deep in my heart for every single person who has taught me, supported me, nurtured my practice and my growth over the years. big shoutout to @armourdancetheatre for teaching me to build a loving, lifelong relationship with my body // gratitude for these wonderful arts writers who connected with the work // gratitude for the legendary team @mocanomi , the family energy is everything, and always to @adeze and her incredible vision // gratitude for my community, my friends, and family, who showed me what love and care is all about // happy basel, y’all. keep loving, keep dreaming 🤍 [ALT TEXT AVAILABLE]

✨🌙 💛 🌻 💫 To say this feels like a dream come true feels like an understatement. After years of planning, making, and community-building, the Manipura Sanctum has grown to become something more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. I am filled with immense gratitude for everyone who has been a part of the work and has made it the living sanctuary that it is today. The work has a life of its own and I wonder often about where it will go next. Five years ago, my father received his diagnosis. Four years ago, I began meditating on the nature of care. I asked people close to me, my friends and family, to share their stories of caregiving, healing, medicine, and grief. It was in seeing their words that I was able to make sense of all of the things that I was feeling, but did not have the words for yet. And so, the first Manipura works were born – a series of sculptural portraits in dialogue with my friends’ journeys. Then, I began making installations – sites of contemplation that could take care of the caregiver. These spaces have been the product of labor, generosity, sacrifice, and love. I invite you all to revel in the warmth woven into this work. Come as you are, take what you need. This work has also pushed me to think more deeply about creating works rooted in reciprocity, interdependence, and collective care. I encourage you all to support care workers, organizations, and mutual aid funds doing this work and will share resources here in the days to come. I also welcome feedback, criticism, and dialogue – whether you want to wax poetic or deep dive into public policy, any kind of discussion on the nature of care and what this work should serve is very, very welcome and deeply appreciated. The Manipura Sanctum will be shown at the Central Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library in collaboration with Recess from Jan 24, 2022, to April 23, 2022. I have nothing but immense gratitude to the curatorial team for inviting me and for creating the space for this new work. Special thanks to Cora Fisher, @an.duplan , @preranar , @elcleonardo , @afweisberg , @internalalchemist , and everyone at Recess and BPL for their unending support. ✨🌙 💛 🌻 💫

Baby’s first New York Times mention 💗🤍💫 excuse me while I kiss the sky 🌌💫😭

Artist Spotlight: Smita Sen ✨ 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), and the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami (2024-25), among others. Her work has been shown at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Frost Art Museum, Aspen Ideas Festival, the Knockdown Center, and Socrates Sculpture Park, and has been featured in the NYTimes, Frieze, The Observer, and Dance Magazine. Sen has been awarded support from institutions including NEW INC, the New Museum’s incubator; Recess; Oolite Arts; and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. Sen is a graduate of Columbia University (2016) Come see what Smita has been working on at the third Bits + Pieces showing on May 9th at Miami Light Project's LIGHT BOX Studio at MTC from 7-9pm 🧡

//// rehearsal process //// This Heart, Electric The third movement, Breathing, will be shared as a work-in-progress with @bitsandpiecesmiami on May 9th. Gratitude to the beautiful team, @nihuhow @libelulaumbrata @trinamusic for investing the care, energy, and sincerity needed to bring this work to life 🤍🙏🏽

Every time the hip pain comes back, I wonder about the new grief and the old grief and the ways they intermingle. Grateful for my body and the ways it communicates with me. 🤍 ////// Breathing Sideways ////// ////// sculpture 3D-printed in resin /////

Descubre “Mujeres de visión / A Pair of Us” en Laundromat Art Space: once artistas de Miami transforman lo íntimo en arte, explorando identidad, cuerpo y comunidad sin clichés ni estereotipos. ¿De qué tienes hambre? 🍽️ Una instalación participativa, textiles reinventados, esculturas y acuarelas te esperan hasta el 30 de marzo. 🔗 Lee la historia completa por Marivi Veliz y sumérgete en este viaje artístico: /articulos-en-espanol/mujeres-de-vision-en-el-laundromat-art-space

Artist Spotlight: Working with sculpture, advanced technology, and performance, Smita Sen investigates the dynamic relationship between the body and memory. Sen explores how the body becomes a living document, storing tension, movement, and emotion over a lifetime. A former palliative caregiver, Sen further examines how illness, grief, and interdependence transform the body, carrying compounded memories. Their research draws from the theory and praxis of narrative medicine, centering the personal voice within medical systems. Sen works simultaneously with sculpture and performance to analyze the layers in the patient and caregiver experience, exploring the intersections between illness and transcendence. In performance, they combine visceral movement, operatic vocalization, Graham technique, and yoga nidra to excavate embodied memories. In sculpture, they use 3D modeling, scientific drafting, and South Asian theology to visualize internal landscapes. Sen’s practice interrogates the intersections of Western and South Asian medical traditions, asking how resilience and healing are shaped within the body. Artworks in order of appearance: INTERNAL BLEEDING, (Feelings, Fossilized Series), 2023, 10” in length, 3D-printed resin Feelings, Fossilized #3, 2023, 30” x 23”, Graphite and watercolor on paper

////// Women of Vision: A Pair of Us ////// New show for Women’s History Month opening at @laundromatartspace on Friday, March 6th ✨🌱 Gratitude for this beautiful slate of artists and for the thoughtful curation by @_sophiaelisa_ 🙏🏽

🤍 Internal Bleeding // Feelings, Fossilized #3 3D-printed in resin 10” in length With support from @printaworld3d @bakehouseartcomplex @mocanomi 🤍

TOMORROW — Friday, Dec 5 We’re thrilled to debut @smitasens ’ newest performance series: This Heart Electric — with music by @trinamusic The series will take place at @bpmwellness located at 363 NE 61st St, Miami FL. Right next door to our favorite neighborhood venue: @zeyzeymiami Doors open at 6:00 PM and the performance will be followed by a themed indian dinner prepared by Radhika of @relatedrecipes . Final tickets at the link in bio and on our website! See you all soon! #artweek #artbasel #miami

Rehearsing is just as much a part of the process. Don’t miss our special Art Week preview of “This Heart, Electric” a heart-forward collaboration between Smita Sen and Trina Basu at @bpmwellness Tickets are still available at the link in our bio. Witness with us.