statement

Banita Mistry develops rule-based systems and automatic processes to create paintings, sculptures and writing.

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Rather than treating automatism as spontaneous expression, Mistry constructs precise systems that are followed over extended periods of time. Repetition, duration and material discipline become generative tools, allowing complex works to emerge from simple instructions.

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Working primarily with henna, Mistry's practice also functions as an ongoing material research project into the history, cultural migration and contemporary potential of the plant as a fine art medium. Through sustained experimentation, she explores henna as both material and archive, extending its use beyond the body into painting and sculpture.

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Drawing inspiration from computational systems, information theory and digital culture, her practice explores how human and machine forms of automation converge and diverge. Rather than illustrating technology, her works enact it: self-imposed systems are translated into slow, physical acts of making, exposing attention, error and labour as visible records within the finished surface.

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Alongside her studio practice, Mistry writes and lectures on creativity in the age of machines, exploring how emerging technologies are reshaping creative thinking, visual culture and the value of making.