Raneece Buddan

Thirteen Matches, 2021

Mixed media painting

My Knots, 2021

Oil paint, synthetic hair, fabric, resin, wood

Pottery Series, 2021

Clay, fabric, paint, resin

For this body of work Raneece experimented with casting molds of bantu knots and braids, familiar hairstyles, as transparent resin copies which she has integrated into her paintings and sculptures. Throughout her childhood and adulthood hair played a major role in defining her beauty and fitting into spaces. This is relayed through the use of synthetic hair and now small resin sculptures as well. Inspired by the labels that come on African Dutch-wax fabrics Raneece has made labels of her own of resin braids, thirteen that signify the thirteen ethnicity DNA matches of world regions she received from Ancestry DNA.

These pots are a continuation of her research on traditional pottery making in Ghana and India. The focus of these pots started off as purely process based as it's a way for her to reconnect with unfamiliar cultures. They however have transformed over time as she has incorporated prints and designs visible on various Indian fabrics. These two pots in particular are from her practice with Indian Pottery making. Tending to the part of herself that yearns to learn more and reconnect with lost history.