Ripples of Monsoon : Sindhu Pillai
Warm Splashes by Sindhu Pillai, Acrylic 2026
On view in the Creel-Harison Gallery, June 5 - July 10
Opening Reception June 5, 5-7pm. Free to the public with light refreshments
Augusta-based artist Sindhu Pillai will be featured in the 3rd floor Creel-Harison Gallery June 5 - July 10 at GHIA.
Pillai has created a body of work for this exhibition that reflects on her experiences throughout her immigration journey. Nostalgic memories of her childhood are found throughout the acrylic and collage works presented, and boats are featured throughout as a central motif. Learn more about the exhibition in the artist’s statement below.
Houseboat by Sindhu Pillai, Acrylic
From the Artist
“Recent reflections on my own immigration journey have evoked many memories deep rooted in the Indian diaspora. Nostalgic memories of playing in the rain with friends during the monsoons and making paper boats from newspapers, notebook pages, magazines, or any scrap paper are some of the most precious. Growing up in a country where finding order in chaos is life skill, many dreamt of leaving the country for better possibility. As the nation grappled with challenges arising from many fronts, many quietly built their plans of departure patiently like an impeccably built small boat, fragile, yet radiant with hope and longing. The edges of the vessel were often warped but the immense hope carried many across oceans.
The collage works are created using printed news from prominent news outlets of India from four to five decades ago in local languages and in English onto newspapers like sheets. These newspapers were affixed on a board with glue and painted over in acrylic and chalk paint. The paper base collage is intentionally left warped and made wet echoing the monsoon’s pervasive influence on daily life and memory. The boat emerges as the central motif, a vessel carrying treasured possessions, aspirations and dreams. The choice of reflective paper in select works suggests the mirroring and shadow, symbolizing how memories are formed, and distorted over time. Eroded recollections of extended families and traditions are passed on to the next generation. The connections kept to the land of origin are held together by these threads of reminiscence.
The artworks on canvas using acrylic medium are simple glimpses into the memories of many who reached their dream destination and created a dynamic identity shaped by both origin and migration, lives that blend traditions and continue to evolve over time.”
Artist Biography
Sindhu Pillai is a contemporary landscape painter whose work explores the delicate balance of nature through her lens. Using bold, expressive colors, she blends dreamlike qualities into familiar scenes. Sindhu’s experimentation led her to a distinctive style of storytelling. An abstract atmosphere where light as hope and promise, overlays fragmented memories of landscapes in each composition. After dedicating time to raising her children and working, Sindhu returned to her artistic roots, finding a renewed voice in painting. Her work has been recognized at the Art League of Hilton Head Biennale (SC), Sulfur Studios (Savannah, GA), Belton Center for the Arts (SC), Rhode Island Watercolor Society (RI), Modern Visual Arts Gallery (PA), Clarkston Community Center (Atlanta, GA), Westobou Micro Gallery (Augusta, GA), Chola Art Gallery (India), and Sand Hills Magazine by Augusta University. Apart from creating and teaching art, she plays chess and tai chi during her free time.
Connect with the artist on Instagram: Instagram.com/coloredincanvas
ACCESSIBILITY NOTE: This gallery space is located on the 3rd floor of the Ware’s Folly Building on the GHIA campus. There is no elevator due to the historic nature of the building