Multimedia artist Rupinder “Rupy” Kaloti is currently presenting her exhibition, "The Gathering," at the Oceanside Museum of Art.. Running through February 28, the show uses large-scale, colorful pieces to explore the Punjabi-American immigrant experience through the lens of family stability and chosen connections.
Moving past the 1980s political violence in India
The exhibition "The Gathering" at the Oceanside Museum of Art attempts to pivot the conversation regarding Punjabi-American identity. while many artists in the community focus on the trauma of the 1980s, when many Punjabi families fled political violence in India, Kaloti takes a different path. As the report notes,she focuses on the "destination" rahter than the "journey," highlighting the stability and community built after the initial hardship.
Kaloti’s perspective is shaped by the stories of her elders rather than direct experience of the violence itself. She grew up hearing about the political upheaval that drove her family to the United States, but she chose to focus on the resilience her family showed in the aftermath. By centering the narraive on the "fruits of labor," Kaloti seeks to counter negative political narratives about immigrants by showcasing the strength and rituals that define a settled community.
The symbolism of rainbows and guiding stars in Kaloti's work
Kaloti’s visual language relies heavily on metaphors of hope and destiny to illustrate the immigrant experience. The exhibition uses motifs like rainbows and guiding stars to represent the soul's journey toward a chosen home. According to the source, the museum describes the show as an exploration of the esoteric belief that a soul deliberately selects its kin. This approach allows Kaloti to present the immigrant family as a "sacred destination" rather than just a group defined by survival.
This sense of chosen community is rooted in Kaloti's own childhod memories of large family gatherings. She recalls her grandmother and four sisters hosting celebrations that brought together both close and distant relatives to foster a sense of belonging. One specific piece, titled “After the Storm,” stands out as the only rectangular work in the collection, serving as a testament to the stability that follows periods of upheaval.
Creating large-scale art from a one-bedroom apartment
The physical scale of the work presents a stark contrast to the artist's living conditions during the creative process. Kaloti developed these large-scale, colorful pieces while working out of a single-bedroom apartment in Southern California. The report highlights the difficulty of sanding, assembling, and storing massive panels in such a confined space, a logistical hurdle that required her to break big ideas down into smaller, manageable components.
The creative process was often organic and unpredictable, moving away from initial sketches as the work progressed. Once the panels were built,Kaloti frequently allowed the images to form through the act of painting itself. This method of working allowed her to process her own thoughts on the relationships she has built, using the art as a way to meditate on the connections that define her life.
The omission of 1980s political trauma in the narrative
While Kaloti aims to highlight a "universal value system" within families, the exhibition leaves certain historical specifics unaddressed. The source mentions that many Punjabi families immigrated to the U.S . to escape political violence, yet Kaloti intentionally avoids depicting these specific events because she did not live through them. This raises questions about whether an artist can fully represent a diaspora's identity by focusing solely on the "fruits of labor" while bypassing the specific political catalysts that shaped their arrival.
Furthermore, the exhibition focuses heavily on the "destination," which leaves the actual mechanics of the immigrant "journey" largely unexplored. While this provides a refreshing look at immigrant success and stability, it leaves open the question of how much of the cultural identity is tied to the struggle that preceded the peace.
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