Step close enough to Anusha Sekhar’s “Not So Fast Fashion” and you’ll notice pieces of sari fabric adorning the young woman depicted in the mixed media piece.
Like in much of Sekhar’s artwork, the piece features upcycled materials and speaks to mass consumerism that impacts South Asian women and girls across the world.
“Most of the clothing we buy in the United States, like the fast fashion, also gets made by children around that girl's age in other countries such as India, Bangladesh, China and Pakistan,” she said.
Sekhar is one of more than a dozen artists from the South Asian diaspora with work in the Museum of Asian Texans’ exhibition “Untitled Homeland,” which is open for viewing until Nov. 15. The exhibition features photos, newspaper clippings, artifacts and visual art that aim to explore one question: What does it look like to carry the culture and tradition of your ancestors to a new place?
Stephanie Drenka, co-founder of the Dallas Asian American Historical Society, which hosts the exhibition, said the South Asian diaspora is one of the fastest-growing communities in North Texas.
The South Asian population in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington is about 332,600, according to the Pew Research Center's analysis of census data. That includes people with ancestry from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
“It's more important than ever that we uplift and humanize these stories for people to counteract the anti-immigrant sentiment that we're facing in the state and throughout the country,” Drenka said.
Drenka said there’s a rich history of South Asian communities in the U.S. and North Texas that often gets overlooked. One reason is Asian Americans of East Asian descent are often the focus.
“It wasn't really until after the 1965 Immigration Act that more immigrants from South Asia were able to come here. So in terms of the timeline of history, they're seen as relatively newer immigrants but they've had significant contributions,” she said.
Kyla Gaganam, an artist based in Austin, curated the exhibition, which she said reflects on “finding a home wherever you come from.”
“I think a large theme of the entire show was to provide spaces for Desi women specifically to showcase their art because the majority of our artists were women. And I wanted there to be discussions about caste, colorism, economic things that we all are impacted by whether we're living here or whether we are living abroad,” she said.
Her pieces, including The Woman Who Killed The Red Coat part one and two, are in the exhibition. The illustrations are hand-drawn on tea-stained paper, depicting vibrant scenes from cultural stories and her spiritual practice of sanatana dharma. Many of her pieces speak to colorism with many of the female figures she illustrates having darker skin.
“I think it's so important to learn how to interpret stories rather than practice them solely based off what you read, and I think education is a big component of a lot of my pieces as well,” she said.
The exhibition also features an old box TV playing a black-and-white Telugu film, paintings, wooden cutouts, a vintage tobacco set and a traditional Indian drum. In one corner, there’s sports memorabilia including an old ledger from the Dallas County Cricket Club and photos of the shocking victory of the U.S. team against Pakistan in the 2024 ICC T20 Men’s World Cup in Grand Prairie.
There’s even a 2001 Dallas Morning News clipping about North Texan Dheeraj Kapuria, who oversaw the U.S. operations of Arlington-based ZEE TV, once the largest provider of Indian TV in the U.S.
“I hope they [South Asian Americans] feel seen in some way, whether it's because their culture is finally being represented or they relate to an aspect of the stories here and feel a connection with the artists or the people from the community that were so gracious to share some really important aspects of their lives,” Drenka said.
Details
Through Nov. 15. “Untitled Homeland” exhibition at the Museum of Asian Texans. 1409 Botham Jean Blvd #110, Dallas, TX 75215.
The exhibition will be open to the public on Nov. 8 and 9 from 12-5 p.m. and Nov. 15 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. with a special book club event from 1-3 p.m. that’s open to the public. Visitors can make appointments to see the exhibition during the week.
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