My journey from growing up in Kathmandu, high school in Maharashtra, Colorado College for an undergraduate degree and the United States at present, as a "non-resident alien," has most certainly been one of growth. I have grown from failure, from taking for granted and being taken for granted. In both kind and harsh ways, the circumstances have pushed me to validate my own voice. I created this blog to journal the fleeting emotions I am seldom able to articulate in real life.
When we are exhausted of strength, hopefully all that we have survived will pick us up over and over again. This is an archive of survival, for survival. This is an accountability project for me to articulate for myself the kind of artist I know I can be, the worlds I have to build and the worlds I must shatter to build them.
That being said, I do derive inspiration from stories that are not always mine for both my writing and art. A humble request to refrain from making assumptions about me or anyone else as you engage further.
There are no new ideas,
Only new ways of
making them felt.
- Audre Lorde
Make ritual of the things you love.
Acrylic on Canvas
24 x 36 inches
some days just fly by reminding myself to breathe and that's okay too.
Choreographed, Performed and Edited by: Saluja Siwakoti
Filmed by: Rui Zhou
Audio: “Raga Tilak Kamodi” by Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, “Sunko Jutta” by Night, Self Recorded Audio Superimposed
What does it mean to be at home with the body and the world? What does it mean to be simultaneously unhomed in the body and the world? What does dance as gestural, embodied practice tell us about this specific body? तुईन in Nepali refers to a wire bridge still used in places to cross rivers. I use this to honor my mother who bridged seemingly unfathomable worlds together especially at times when everything and everyone tested her.
Shout out to Prof. Pallavi Sriram, Rui Zhou, Danny Archibald, Eu Su Lynn, Anya Quesnel, Colorado College Dance Workshop and family for everything
POETRY & WRITING
I'm Saluja. I hold an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science and Feminist and Gender Studies from Colorado College. I am an artist from Nepal who uses theater, painting, poetry, music and dance to speak into how I am at unease in the world as it is. I truly believe art can be a place for us to collectively imagine otherwise. I'm always looking for creatives to collaborate with so feel free to reach out!