“Designing the Dream State” is a solo exhibition by Hartford Art School’s inaugural Whitney Artist-in-Residence Chiraag Bhakta. The show will be held in the Joseloff Gallery from February 23 to March 25. Bhakta, a Hartford Art School graphic design alumnus, is an artist and designer who works in “archival research, storytelling and collaboration in a variety of media” to unveil “the history, legacies and ongoing impact of western imperialism in our everyday lives.”
“Designing the Dream State” addresses empire building and the evolution of South Asian-American identity. Bhakta takes on modern U.S. immigration policies, which brought highly educated South Asians to America in pursuit of the “American Dream.” Very much a multidisciplinary artist, Bhakta includes new works of video, sculpture, screen-printing and assemblage in the show. He also expands upon his ongoing photo-documentary series, “The Arch Motel Project.” Bhakta hopes that the viewer can “see how deep rooted the structures of power around us are. The only way for change is to first understand what we’re dealing with.”
Bhakta was raised in an independent motel on a New Jersey freeway surrounded by a rotation of extended family. A graphic designer by trade, Bhakta has used the pseudonym *Pardon My Hindi to work in various mediums including printmaking, collage, photography and assemblage. His work has been shown at the Whitney Museum, the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and the Brooklyn Museum, among other institutions. Bhakta’s current interest involves working at the intersection of design, social and political systems. He cited Cathy Park Hong’s “Minor Feelings,” which argues that the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act used the successes of Asian Americans to promote capitalism and undermine the Black civil rights movement. Namely, Hong stated, “there’s no discrimination, they assured us, as long as you’re compliant and hardworking.”
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