Avani Patel’s cultural background has had a profound impact on forging her identity as an artist. As a young girl living in India, she fell in love with the patterns of dresses, exotic colors, the sound of music, as well as the spectacle of both theatre and cinema. Effectively symbolizing the rhythm of her daily life, they are all fluidly interconnected. Indian culture is the starting point of Patel’s work. The range of Indian culture expressed through film, theatre, music, and performance are all sources of artistic inspiration for her. Even though she is far away from home, Patel continues to explore the boundaries between Eastern and Western cultural influences with paintings that call to mind these textiles, costumes, exotic flora and spices, and a diversity of rhythmic sounds. She believes that art has the power to raise awareness about major environmental issues as well as their cultural consequences.

Unknown Forest is on view in Art Alley, located in the HUB-Robeson Center at Penn State University. Art Alley is open 24/7 | Closed University breaks & holidays.