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MFA Candidate, Yashoda Latkar Receives the Top Award in the Arts

 


NMSU Research and Creativity Week, November 11th – 15th, 2019 was filled with scholarly and creative research events that included presentations from NMSU’s students and professors along with workshops aiding in grant writing and research. Our department is proud to announce MFA Candidate, Yashoda Latkar as the recipient of a $1500 travel award for her presentation titled, Welcome Home presented during this event. Below is the artist statement and gallery of images.

Yashoda Latkar – Artist Statement ‘Welcome Home’

Welcome Home is a photographic project that explores my present experience and struggle to make a new place my ‘home’. Born and brought up in Mumbai, India, I lived with my parents for most of my adulthood. After starting a professional career in photography, I moved around to multiple cities across the globe, trying to find a home and stability everywhere I went.
After my most recent move to the United States of America, I realized that not only I am still struggling to make this place my home but I am also constantly looking for solace in the smallest of places.
In my work, I explore what makes one feel at home, and the intimate connections that each of us have to our personal spaces. The process of being invited into individual’s homes, is one that I find to be particularly engaging. The unique environments, not only speak to each person’s personality, but add a sense of intrigue for me as an image-maker and indirectly guide me in my own challenges.
For the series, in addition to single images, I utilize a double exposure’ technique to show the different layers of personality. During capture, I create two exposures into a single composition combining as they are taken in sequence, rather than in post-processing. It requires careful planning and pre-visualization, while also allowing for an element of surprise in the results. I rely on intuition and sensitivity to document the lives of the extraordinary people I have had the honor to meet in order to share their sentiment and dignity.

 

photographs by MFA Yashoda Latkar