Still I Rise

2018

Neha Vedpathak Indian, born 1982

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About the Artwork

In this work, Neha Vedpathak explores the theme of resilience — something she sees as a common ground connecting India, where she was born, and Detroit, where she now lives and works.

The lacelike paper, produced through a technique the artist invented, is both delicate and sturdy. In this rigorous process called “plucking,” Vedpathak carefully separates the fibers of Japanese handmade paper using a tiny pushpin.

Painted in gradations of yellow and red, the work’s vibrant colors evoke sunrise, sunset, and ongoing cycles of darkness and light. These pigments also recall turmeric and kumkum (vermilion powder), two substances that factor into many religious ceremonies and everyday practices in South Asia. For Vedpathak, the unpainted strip of white at the center “represents the common elemental fabric that connects us all,” transcending temporal existence.

Titled after Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise,” the work offers hope and harmony in times of uncertainty, and its meaning continues to evolve.

Title Still I Rise

Artwork Date 2018

Artist Neha Vedpathak

Life Dates born 1982

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. Indian

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. ----------

Medium Handmade japanese paper, acrylic paint, and thread

Dimensions Overall: 83 1/2 × 88 inches (212.1 × 223.5 cm)

Classification Handmade Paper

Department Asian Art

Credit Museum Purchase, G. Albert Lyon Foundation Fund, L. A. Young Fund, and Asian Art General Fund, with funds from Gibbs-Williams Fund; gifts from Robert H. Tannahill, Roy D. Chapin, Jr., by exchange

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 2018.76

Markings

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Provenance

the artist, Neha Vedpathak (Detroit, Michigan, USA);
2018-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance, please visit:

Provenance page

Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

Suggest Feedback

Published References

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We regularly update our object record as new research and findings emerge, and we welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Neha Vedpathak, Still I Rise, 2018, handmade Japanese paper, acrylic paint, and thread. Detroit Institute of Arts, Museum Purchase, G. Albert Lyon Foundation Fund, L. A. Young Fund, et al., 2018.76.