Travelbinger Rachna
Rachna Toshniwal (she/her) is an artist and environmentalist. She received a BA in Environmental Studies, New College of Florida, Sarasota, USA; 1995; a Post Graduate Diploma in Sustainable Management of Natural Resources and Conservation, Ecological Society, Pune, India; 1999; an MA in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, University of Peace, Costa Rica; 2007; and an MA in International Affairs, American University, Washington DC, USA; 2007.
Toshniwal's professional practice is about connection - with the self and other (nature, people, objects, materials) through exploring and experimenting with different creative processes. It is about communication, community, and communion - fostering ways to take the intimacy of creative expression into the public domain through performance, workshops, installations and encouraging dialogue regarding the processes, the outcome, and its impact/relevance to where we find ourselves today.
Her work is rooted in Nature. Formally trained as an environmentalist, Toshniwal spent 15+ years in eco-activism and grassroots development projects in indigenous communities across India. Fundamentally, her artwork is an enquiry into the ways in which we are connected/disconnected within ourselves, and by extension, with Nature. Producing art becomes an opportunity to pause, contemplate, and reflect; and what emerges is a bridge which can evoke a similar reflection in the viewer/participant. She lives and works in Mumbai and Alibaug.
Toshniwal's professional practice is about connection - with the self and other (nature, people, objects, materials) through exploring and experimenting with different creative processes. It is about communication, community, and communion - fostering ways to take the intimacy of creative expression into the public domain through performance, workshops, installations and encouraging dialogue regarding the processes, the outcome, and its impact/relevance to where we find ourselves today.
Her work is rooted in Nature. Formally trained as an environmentalist, Toshniwal spent 15+ years in eco-activism and grassroots development projects in indigenous communities across India. Fundamentally, her artwork is an enquiry into the ways in which we are connected/disconnected within ourselves, and by extension, with Nature. Producing art becomes an opportunity to pause, contemplate, and reflect; and what emerges is a bridge which can evoke a similar reflection in the viewer/participant. She lives and works in Mumbai and Alibaug.