Ryde-based artist Gauri Torgalkar explores the intersection of cultural heritage, migration, and the Australian landscape in her work. Her pieces at Local: Box Hill – Sunrise, Sunrise II, and The Patterns Around Me – invite reflection on colour, pattern, and lived experience.
Gauri draws from Indian textiles, miniature painting, and historic systems of ornamentation, translating these visual languages into layered acrylic on raw linen. Sunrise and Sunrise II capture the shifting colours of dawn over the Dandenong Ranges, incorporating subtle gold elements that enhance their ethereal quality. The Patterns Around Me features willow branches, a recurring motif within her practice. As an introduced species, the willow becomes a reflection of migration and the experience of living between cultures, while also referencing architectural details within the building.
Rather than following a linear narrative, Gauri’s work reflects a layering of experiences over time. Pattern and repetition become a way of holding memory, where cultural references, landscape and personal history sit alongside one another within the same surface.
Her works create a dialogue between personal memory, cultural identity, and the surrounding environment. Residents encountering these pieces are invited to engage with both landscape and architecture through Gauri’s lens, noticing details and patterns that resonate across continents and histories.
Through her practice, Gauri demonstrates how art in residential spaces can foster connection, reflection, and a sense of shared heritage, enriching both visual and emotional experience within Local: BoxHill.
