Artist in Residence 48-hour @bettiono Instagram takeover!
We are excited to introduce our @bettiono instagram Guest Curator of the week, @nisha.k.sethi !
Nisha is a Sign Painter and Activist currently based in the Oakland Bay Area and LA. Early on, Nisha developed a passion for typography and was deeply influenced by childhood trips to India where she was exposed to the fascinating world of hand-painted film posters. Back home in the Bay Area, Nisha was brought up in the graffiti scene, gravitating towards street art with powerful messages. She began creating work that spoke to her hybrid identity and is currently painting alongside Oakland-based artist crew @TrustYourStruggleCollective.
Having been closely mentored by legendary Sign Painter Doc Guthrie, Nisha is now a certified Sign Painter as well as a Graphic Designer - exploring both digital and analog practices. Her hand-painted posters have been carried by thousands of protestors at the Women’s March, March for Our Lives, UTLA Teacher’s Strike, and Global Climate Strike.
As Artist in Residence for The Fire Next Time: A Call and Response, a Betti Ono initiative that centers Black and Brown artists as critical actors in movement building, Nisha joins chief curator Anyka Barber as cultural strategists for the Alliance for Girls(A4G) #NotOneMoreGirl campaign. Nisha will lead the creative direction and design of a series of artworks and images that will amplify the experiences and voices of girls, and demand an end to gender-based violence and sexual harassment on public transit.
The partnership includes developing integrated arts and culture engagements that animate the A4G Together We Rise policy agenda and address safety and ridership issues impacting girls on BART. The artworks created will be installed throughout the BART transit system region-wide and will be exhibited on-site at Betti Ono.
As an activist and community organizer, Nisha’s work calls for social change while constantly being informed by iconic political art and movements from the 1960’s. She also is a printmaker and clothing designer at @KalakariCrew where her work is manifested into wearable art. Her bold neon beveled letters pay homage to Indian Sign Painters while spelling out messages for a better, brighter future.
With that said, WE WELCOME NISHA. TAKE IT AWAY!