Press | Sheinina Raj

Interdisciplinary artist, Sheinina Lolita Raj, will take a deeper dive into INTERCULTURAL,

an immersive art experience by Raj and a sound collaboration by Nelly Furtado, with an Art Talk

on Friday, December 8 at the Miami Design Preservation League’s Art Deco Museum. The casual

conversation between the artist and moderator will discuss the inner workings of the artwork which

is currently on display through December 30.

INTERCULTURAL is a visual and sound art experience exploring cultural differences while analyzing

the increasing obsolescence of race-based identity. The exhibition features photographs of artist Raj

arrayed in the traditional authentic finery of various regions and nations while sounds pieces by Nelly Furtado

explore new territory featuring Solfeggio Frequencies, frequencies that allow the mind and body to achieve a

greater sense of balancing and deep healing.

Dive deep into an artist’s understanding of cultural boundaries and identity during a conversation

with photographer Sheinina Lolita Raj, whose photographs tackle both subjects unflinchingly. In the

midst of her collaborative exhibit, INTERCULTURAL, Raj and a moderator discuss the motivations

behind her work. After the chat, walk through the installation, which features a sonic aspect created by

Nelly Furtado.

People are always asking Sheinina Lolita Raj where she’s from.

It’s often the first question she gets from a stranger, and it’s a complicated one to answer.

Her father is Indian. Her mother is English. Raj was born in the U.K. and raised in Canada.

And throughout her life, people have assumed she’s Mexican, Armenian or Persian,

among other ethnicities.

This confusion — sometimes spurred by curiosity, other times by enmity toward her

actual or perceived ethnic origins — has followed her since age eight, but came to a head

when she moved to Los Angeles about 16 years ago, despite the city’s reputation for being

ethnically and racially diverse, inclusive and cosmopolitan.

“When I moved to L.A., I guess had this idea in my mind that Los Angeles is a giant city and

it’s a metropolis and it has cultures [from] all over the world,” says Raj.

“I immediately was so much struck by the obvious racism that’s just present. … Nowhere have

I ever experienced it so bluntly and aggressively and often.”

Her experiences taught her that “you can’t run from racism.”

Miami Art Basel 2016

Elaine Fleck Fine Art read more