05/22/2026
Weâre celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by highlighting the work of Rina Banerjee, whose art explores migration, identity, and her own multinational background.
Born in Kolkata, India, Banerjee lived briefly in the UK and now resides in Queens, New York. She is known for her intricate sculptures and drawings, combining materials sourced from around the world like cowrie shells, feathers, textiles, alligator forms, Pyrex tubes, Murano glass, and glass beads. These layered materials reference histories of trade, colonialism, labor, and displacement, while reflecting her interest in the fluid and evolving nature of identity in a globalized world.
Banerjee often incorporates glass into her work, using it as a medium that captures and transforms lightâshifting her sculpturesâ reflections and shadows in subtle, ever-changing ways.
Published in 2019 alongside her first major U.S. exhibition, Rina Banerjee: Make Me a Summary of the World features 60 works spanning sculpture, painting, and video. Across her practice, Banerjee challenges the idea that identity can be defined by fixed categories like nationality, race, language, or gender. Instead, her work points toward a more open-ended future shaped by migration, adaptation, and exchange.
Her installations often resemble fantastical ecosystems or hybrid beings, weaving together South Asian heritage with broader global historiesâreminding us that identity is never fixed, but continually shaped through movement, connection, and reinvention.
You can book an appointment at the Rakow Research Library at the link below to explore this publication and learn more đ
https://reserve.cmog.org/?_gl=1*1lww1ou*_gcl_au*MTY4NDE2MzE5Mi4xNzc2Nzg1NTQ4
