Mequitta Ahuja
11 Contemporary Artists To Watch Right Now
September 23, 2020
By Elena Martinique
Navigating the world of contemporary art can be intimidating. It is ever-changing and it shifts according to countless factors. Every year, a new batch of artists appears, getting picked up from prominent galleries and drawing attention from collectors and art enthusiasts alike.
Here, we highlight 11 contemporary artists to watch in 2020, whose reputations and markets are on the rise. These artists are featured in shows all over the world, they make noise at major art events, they capture the attention of powerhouse collectors and break auction records and most importantly, they continue to expand our understanding of what art can be. Furthermore, these artists seem to be bringing portraiture back into the spotlight, so it is indeed an exciting moment on the art scene right now.
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Mequitta Ahuja
A contemporary American painter of African American and South Asian descent who lives in Weston, Connecticut, Mequitta Ahuja casts herself as mythic warriors, epic heroes, and power figures descending from traditions across cultures. She synthesizes her multicultural heritage into works that evoke the process of identity construction.
Taking inspiration from Mughal manuscripts, Buddhist wall drawings, and Western art technique, she explores multiple modes of representation, including abstraction, text, naturalism, schematic description, graphic flatness and illusion. Through her practice, she poses timely questions about the power dynamics underpinning image production and art history.
Ahuja is the recipient of the 2018 Guggenheim fellowship award.
