Artist Statement
In Gratitude is an homage to food and family. Created during the pandemic, it is a series of portraits of myself, my husband, and my three children showcasing the items that we use to produce our daily meals. Inspired by Pablo Neruda’s Elemental Odes, I included my own poetry to celebrate and memorialize the everyday.
Prior to Covid-19, I was ambivalent about cooking. I sometimes viewed it as a chore to even think about what to create, and at other times I relished the opportunity to make a beautiful near-gourmet meal. But what lay behind my desire was to be the perfect parent. This was often thwarted with the reality of schedules, work, and external demands.
Covid-19 changed the way I approached our dinners. They became the highlight of our day and I was more thoughtful in my shopping and preparing. Perhaps if I could at least nourish my family, then somehow, we could be safe.
Despite the uncertainty and fear we feel because of the pandemic, it has enabled me to see my gratitude more clearly, allowing me to honor the foods we eat through the creation of these portraits. I also learned to embrace the imperfections in myself so I could fully enjoy these moments before us.
In the words of MFK Fisher, “our three basic needs, for food, security and love, are so mixed and mingled and entwined, that we cannot straightly think about one without the others.”.
*In Gratitude is now included in my latest book, Embrace, (Schilt publishing, 2023.)
Gallery
About
Rohina Hoffman is an Indian-born American artist whose narrative work focuses on themes of identity, home, adolescence, and the female experience. Raised in New Jersey but now residing in California, Rohina received her BS in Neuroscience and MD both from Brown University. She also studied photography at the Rhode Island School of Design. After years of practicing as a clinical neurologist, she now focuses on her artistic practice.
Rohina published her first monograph Hair Stories with Damiani Editore (February 2019) accompanied by a solo exhibition at Brown University’s Alpert Medical School. Hair Stories is held in many notable public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Getty Research Institute, Cleveland Institute of Art, and over 25 university libraries.
Her second book, Embrace, with Schilt Publishing was just released October 2022 (Europe) and January 2023 (U.S.).
In 2021, she was the winner of the Purchase Award with Atlanta Photography Group and several of her prints from her Generation 1.75 project were acquired by the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia.
Her photographs have been exhibited in juried group shows both nationally and internationally in venues such as The Center for Fine Art Photography, Griffin Museum, Atlanta Photography Group, Colorado Photographic Arts Center, Los Angeles Center for Photography, Photo LA, and A. Smith Gallery. She has been published in Marie Claire Italia, F-Stop Magazine, Lenscratch, Shots Magazine, Dodho Magazine and Aesthetica Magazine among others.
