About

Maya Kotwal is an interdisciplinary artist based in New York City whose practice explores the materialization of memory, intersectional identity, and the spatial dynamics of cultural reclamation.

Working through and across inherited cultural artifacts, Kotwal’s work investigates themes of diasporic identity, assimilation, belonging, otherization, translation, queerness, and multiplicity. Her practice explores how physicalization, materiality, and the senses can bridge generational gaps and reconcile cultural dysphoria.

By employing a methodology of abstraction, fragmentation, deconstruction, and reconstruction, Kotwal transforms personal archives and cultural artifacts into objects of critical inquiry. Central to her current artistic practice is the concept of personal opacity and intentional illegibility, using material distortion to protect the nuances of the queer, diasporic experience from external scrutiny and the demands of audience voyeurism.

Kotwal is also a graphic designer experienced in translating brand identities across digital and physical touchpoints, using her unique blend of design thinking and brand strategy to inform the entire campaign lifecycle from initial campaign concept and content creation to the final development of marketing collateral.

Kotwal holds a BS in Marketing from the Questrom School of Business at Boston University and an MFA in Communication Design from the Pratt Institute.