Nama-stay, 2020
Description :
Nama-stay reinterprets the familiar Indian gesture of Namaste through two hands that approach one another but never meet. Created during the COVID-19 period, the physical distance initially suggests separation and the changing rituals of human contact. Differences between the two hands extend that distance into questions of race, cultural difference, and belonging. Through the wordplay of the title, the work uses humor to consider how gestures of respect and connection can persist even when social, cultural, or physical boundaries keep people apart.
