Entryway, 2026

Mixed-media installation with wool and linen yarn, wool roving, sari fabric, embroidery floss, handmade paper, shells, seeds, and lentils

Dimensions variable

 

Entryway is an installation involving many traditional Indian motifs related to protection, prosperity and wishing good fortune to visitors and residents of the home. Inspired by a traditional puja room, the textiles and imagery create an environment of softness and reverence. I hope visitors take a moment to step into the installation and envelop themselves in this environment of fierce protection. 

 

This installation touches on the concept of "utility rather than visibility," highlighting symbols usually displayed at the entrance or threshold of a South Indian home. While many of these symbols are rooted in craft, they function as commonplace utilitarian objects meant to serve their purpose as devices of protection. The Rangoli is made with coarse chalk powder that must be reapplied every morning, the Rakshasa mask is often made with paper mache or mud meant to erode with time and weather and the Thoranam is made with dried mango leaves, something cheap and easily available. My versions in “Entryway” are more permanent depictions of the symbols, in an attempt to familiarize myself with various textile methods: block printing, weaving and wool felting.

Chaitra Bangalore is an artist and arts educator in Sacramento, California. She received a BA in Design from University of California, Davis and an MA in Arts Education from Rhode Island School of Design. Her work explores South Indian iconography through various mediums, currently focusing on oil painting, wool felting and tapestry weaving. Whether it is an homage to Rangoli patterns and Rakshasa masks found in many Indian homes or figurative work showcasing body hair and adornment, her practice speaks to a sense of belonging and comfort. Texture and harmonious color schemes are constant throughout Bangalore’s work, aiming to immerse the viewer in its protective environment.

 

Bangalore is a current studio resident and curator at Prism Art Space. Her work has been exhibited and collected throughout California, featured in art institutions such as WAL Public Market Gallery, E Street Gallery, Axis Gallery, Verge Center for the Arts, Pence Gallery, Root Division and Transmission Gallery. In 2022, she contributed an installation to Coordinates: Ice Pac, held in the former PACSAT satellite news headquarters in Sacramento.

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@chairbangles | chairbangles.com