perpetual practice: Preetika Rajgariah

Preetika Rajgariah: perpetual practice October 14 - December 9, 2025 Tuesday, October 14 Artist Talk : 5-6 pm Opening Reception: 6-7pm Louisiana Tech University is proud to present perpetual practice, a solo exhibition by multidisciplinary artist Preetika Rajgariah (b. 1985). Drawing from her layered identity as an immigrant, a queer brown woman, and a Southerner, Rajgariah’s work delves into themes of feminism, cultural appropriation, intersectionality, longing, and belonging. Since 2019, Rajgariah has transformed yoga mats—objects loaded with connotations of mass production, consumption, and erasure of South Asian identity—into expansive surfaces for painting and collage. Through donated and thrifted mats, she creates vibrant tableaus that resist waste and reclaim visibility. Collaged sari fabric sourced from her mother, extended community, and global textile histories becomes the skin of her figures, weaving matrilineal narratives into contemporary discourse. The resulting works confront globalization, tradition, and cultural exchange, while also honoring embodied memory and preservation of heritage. When speaking of her work, Preetika says “I have been working with yoga mats, which carry associations of mass production and the simultaneous consumption + erasure of South Asian people, since 2019. What started as an activated object in a performance became a gridded surface that mimics a woven canvas to paint and reflect onto.” Rajgariah’s intuitive process bridges meditation and materiality, stretching beyond conventional formats to challenge oppressive systems and champion marginalized voices. Her work offers space for healing, visibility, and accessible modes of self-care. Rajgariah has exhibited widely with performances at Asia Society Texas and Untitled Art Fair Miami; installations at Women & Their Work, Art League Houston, and Material Fair in Mexico City; and a large-scale public commission at Rice University. She has held residencies at the Houston Contemporary Craft Center, Oxbow School of Art, the Vermont Studio Center, the Golden Foundation, and the Momentary at Crystal Bridges. Her work has been reviewed in the Brooklyn Rail, and she is a recipient of an Artadia Award and Idea Fund grant (2021). Gallery Hours: Sunday 2-6pm Monday - Thursday 8am-6pm Friday 8-5pm Saturday Closed SOD Galleries School of Design Louisiana Tech University 1 Mayfield Avenue Ruston, LA 71270 @latechsod @latechcola @latech #artexhibition #sodgallery @prajgariah #latechgallery #latechexhibition #arteducation #rustonartists #nclac #rustonculturalartsdistrict #rustonchamberofcommerce For more information, visit design.latech.edu or @latech.studio.art.