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Banita Mistry is a London-based painter & sculptor. 

 

Through painting, writing and sculpture, Banita's practice explores technological phenomenology. Her practice uses materials and techniques, often associated with adornment, drawing upon individual and shared experiences of virtual technologies. 

 

Exploring henna through a painterly lens, Banita works intuitively with the material, subverting the traditional expectations of ornamental design and adornment. Her current process reflects her experiences of the ‘infinite scroll’ algorithm, deconstructing the physical and psychological effects of such an immersive and repetitive action. 

 

Banita views the work as an exercise in focus, endurance and the act of letting go, considering the possibilities for spiritual experiences in repetitive acts. As the works are unplanned and intuitive, they are treated as embodied forms of journalling, often reflecting the immediate events, emotions and environments that she occupies. 

Through her work Banita is currently engaged in research on the materiality and history of henna, as an under-researched and often mis-represented craft.

info@foreign-body.com

Born 1986, U.K. 

Based in London. 

Education & qualifications (selected) 

2023| MA Jewellery & Metal - Royal College of Art

2012| Qualified solicitor England & Wales - Kirkland & Ellis LLP 

2008| BA English literature & Education - University of Cambridge

Group Shows (selected) 

2024| Fold(s), Steuben Gallery, Pratt Institute – New York (Nov)

2024| A
Place, Sarabande Foundation Group Show - London (Aug - Sep) 

2023| Arrival of the Train, Cromwell Place, RCA x Snap Inc. - London(Sep)
 
2023| SEAMS, Season Gallery, Brick Lane - London (Aug)
 
2023| Degree show, Royal College of Art - London (Jul)

Awards, grants & funding (selected) 

2024| The Eaton Fund

2023| Global Design Graduate Show x Gucci - Nominee

2023
| Behren’s Trust Scholarship, Royal College of Art

Projects / residencies (selected) 

2024| The Sarabande Foundation Residency, London

2023| Augmented Reality research project, Snap Inc.,London

2022| iAtelier, Crafts Council, London & Birmingham 

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