Nandini Chandavarkar

Nandini Chandavarkar is a ceramic artist and visual designer based in India. She holds an MA in Ceramics from Cardiff School of Art and Design in Wales and a degree in Visual Communication from Srishti Institute of Art, Design & Technology in Bangalore, India. Chandavarkar’s journey into ceramics began during an advanced pottery programme under the mentorship of artists Élodie Alexandre and Reyaz Badaruddin, marking the inception of her dedicated practice in the medium.

Passionate about combining her visual arts background with clay, Chandavarkar delves into personal and political narratives centred around the fragmented female body. Her work raises poignant questions regarding patriarchal canons in post-colonial India. She is particularly drawn to clay for its unique ability to document her lived experiences, drawing parallels between the material and the body when perceived as objects. Her current series engages with visual representations and interpretations of female tropes from Indian mythology, offering a nuanced critique of these traditional narratives.

Recognised as a promising talent, Chandavarkar was featured among 2023’s fresh craft graduates by Craft Council Magazine UK and served as a student demonstrator at the International Ceramics Festival hosted by Aberystwyth Arts Centre (UK). She has showcased these themes in group shows, including A Different View at studioMADE, Denbigh (UK), and the Masters Show at Cardiff School of Art & Design in 2023, which led to the publication of her paper in the journal Ceramics Art & Perception. Additionally, her work was included in the Domestic Fragilities group exhibition, curated by Farah Siddiqui and Natasha Mehta, as part of the Life with Objects event in Mumbai and featured in Verve India magazine in 2022.

Visit Nandini Chandavarkar’s website and Instagram page.