Through her ceramics and printmaking, Ina Kaur explores themes of entanglement and detachment, being and becoming, displacement and belonging.
“My practice investigates the intersections of materiality, memory, migration, gender, labor and identity,” said the New Orleans artist. “Examining how identities are shaped by the people, places and the histories we carry with us.”
Artist: Kaur was born and grew up in New Delhi, India. She graduated with a BFA from the College of Art in Chandigarh, India, and came to the United States to study at Purdue University, where she earned an MFA in printmaking. Later, at Tulane University, she received her second MFA in ceramics.
Over the years, Kaur has worked at various U.S. universities and at the Srishti Institute of Art, Design & Technology in Bangalore, India.
She currently serves as curator of creative practice at Newcomb Art Museum at Tulane University in New Orleans, where she lives.
In addition to her university job, Kaur maintains an interdisciplinary studio practice, which includes printmaking, ceramics, installation and mixed media.
In the beginning: Kaur was drawn to printmaking and ceramics because both offer endless layers of learning, process and experimentation.
In printmaking, this ranges from lithography and etching to the complexities of layering, registration and image-making.
In ceramics, it extends from understanding the body and behavior of clay to firing temperatures, glaze chemistry and surface treatment.
“What continues to draw me to both disciplines is their combination of technical rigor and skill needed for their respective craftsmanship,” said Kaur. “Each process requires attention, problem-solving, and a willingness to respond to what the material does.
“The material and process are therefore not simply tools for realizing an idea. They become active participants in the creative process, continually opening up new possibilities and ways of thinking.”
Art & materials: Clay sculptures and works on paper, including prints, installations and mixed-media works. The color red is prominently featured in her artwork.
- Limited-edition prints and utilitarian ceramic works: $80 to $1,500.
- One-of-a-kind prints and sculptural works: $500 to $5,000.
Why red: Red has become an important visual and conceptual element within Kaur’s work.
“I use red as a conduit for emotion and as a way of creating an intimate, visceral encounter with the viewer,” said Kaur. “As if the color itself possesses a living, breathing presence.
“Red demands to be seen and heard; it occupies space and insists on making an impact. It can signify suffering, violence and rupture, while simultaneously evoking passion, desire, vitality, resistance and life.”
Themes:
- Decolonality, the ongoing undoing of colonization.
- Socio-political conflicts.
- Gender.
- Ecological inequality.
Favorite tool:
- A sketchbook/notebook for collecting observations, ideas, fragments of drawings and writing as they emerge.
Influences:
- Everyday encounters with people and social systems.
- Lived experiences.
- The world and nature around her.
- Artists: Louise Bourgeois, Kiki Smith, Hilma af Klint and Faith Wilding.
- Writers: Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Bell Hooks, Arundhati Roy, Astrida Neimanis and Clarissa Pinkola Estes.
Recent honor: Selected as a juror by the Center for Southern Craft & Design for its 19th annual “Art of the Cup” exhibition. The cups will be exhibited at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans. Oct 24-Dec. 7.
Since its inception, the exhibition has showcased more than 1,044 cups and teapots by acclaimed ceramic artists from across the South.
Current project: Developing two, body and movement-based works with clay called “Nothing Is Sacred” and “Odyssey of Resilience.”
At their core, these works ask: How do we carry one another: Through memory, material and acts of care?
“They explore how the body, clay, and movement can become sites for holding, witnessing, and transforming lived experience,” said Kaur. “And how art can create spaces where shared experiences become visible and felt.”
Kaur hopes to present the works at the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts’ (NCECA) 61st annual conference, “Charm,” in Baltimore, MD. March 10-13, 2027.
What’s new: An article in the print series in MAPC Mid America Print Council Journal, Vol. 37: Mapping History. It’s titled “BluePrint – Coloniality of Expression” and examines the intersections of domestic architecture, gendered labor and colonial power. Fall 2026.
Where to buy: inakaur.com
Connect:
Instagram: @Studio_InkSpace and @WildWomanPotter
