She Isn’t A Metaphor: An Exhibition of Mixed Media by Nimisha Doongarwal

On view: August 14 – November 1 (during OACC open hours)
Wednesday–Saturday, noon–5 pm

Artist Reception with Nimisha Doongarwal

Thursday, August 28, 6–7:30 pm

Please register here to attend the reception

She Isn’t a Metaphor reimagines mythological women not as symbols or ideals, but as powerful, complex women. Drawing from Hindu mythology and other traditions, this series of mixed media by artist Nimisha Doongarwal challenges how women have been used as symbols—Sita for purity, Draupadi for sacrifice, or Medusa for fear—while their own voices have been erased. 

Through layered collage, textiles, and paint, these figures are brought into the present, where they speak back. They are not here to uphold expectations. They are here to reclaim space, tell their truths, and offer new ways of seeing ourselves. This work isn’t just about the past, it’s about now. It’s a call to unlearn, to reimagine, and to find strength in stories told on our own terms. 

The work asks the viewer, “What parts of the past do we still carry? What do we need to let go of to become whole?”

She Isn’t a Metaphor is for anyone who has felt unseen or unheard. It’s about more than reclaiming the past; it’s about reimagining the future. These figures aren’t just remembered, they are rewritten, reawakened, and ready to speak for themselves.