Urvi Sharma
Urvi Sharma is an Indian-American furniture and lighting designer. She co-founded the award winning design studio INDO- with Manan Narang, based in Providence, RI. With INDO-, Urvi blends craft and narrative to design objects that demonstrate the rich cultural and historical identity she brings with her to the landscape of contemporary American design. Urvi is a member of the Forbes Under 30 Class of 2023, Art and Style. Her work with INDO- has been featured in numerous publications including Architectural Digest, Dwell and Interior Design Magazine.
www.indo-made.com / Instagram @indo.made
Durbar
Her newest collection with INDO-, Durbar, explores and draws influence from the cross cultural exchanges between India and the West, in particular architecture, jewelry, textiles and decorative objects. Researching these objects led to a much deeper understanding of how Indian design has had a substantial impact on global design, particularly in the last century. This influence has either been filtered out of the narrative, undocumented or acculturated to suit Western ideas of what it means to be Indian. Through Durbar, INDO- reclaims and celebrates elements of Indian design that have been poached or altered over time to obscure their provenance.
Purdah Mirror
The Purdah Mirror has a brass veil, intentionally obscuring the face of the person viewing themself. The veil as an object carries with it contradicting connotations of restriction and empowerment, especially to a wide range of women in the Asian community. It is up to the viewer whether they want to stay at a distance or come closer and reveal their reflection hiding behind the veil. Being Indian designers in an American context, we find ourselves trying to dissociate our identities from our work in hopes of making it more approachable and relatable to a wider audience. While it may be considered a negative thing, it is also a form of self preservation that keeps us protected from the feeling of being seen for the wrong reasons. The Purdah Mirror plays with this duality of emotions that come with being part of a minority. On one hand, it hides the part many consider to be the strongest part of one's identity (the face). On the other, it protects one from being scrutinized by none other than themself.