Bio

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Harita Patel (b. 1985) is a Colorado-based visual artist who unpacks narratives of transformation and resilience. Her work incorporates multiple methods ranging from painting and printmaking to textile embroidery. Patel often uses the inherent uncertainty of mixed media and unfamiliar materials to explore the role of adversity in growth and transformation.

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Born in Atlanta, Georgia, she traces her roots between the U.S. and Gujarat, India. One of her earliest artistic memories dates back to age five, when she spontaneously drew a family portrait in pencil on the freshly painted walls of her parents' first home in the U.S. While that mural did not survive her parents’ shock, her impulse to be creative and make art persisted. Through grade school, her work was regularly selected for state-level art exhibitions, and in high school, she pursued independent coursework in ceramics.

 

In 2009, Patel earned her BA in Political Science and International Affairs from the University of Georgia. Her passion for research and public service led her to pursue graduate studies in Political Science at the University of Cincinnati, where she earned her first M.A. She completed her second M.A. and doctoral exams at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 2017. She is currently completing her dissertation at the University of Cincinnati.

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Her graduate research addresses the politics of power and international development, with an emphasis on research methods and epistemology. Her academic research is informed by feminist and postcolonial scholarship. These traditions of critical inquiry also underpin her artistic practice, which uses visual form to investigate dominant narratives and trace the possibilities of personal and collective transformation.

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Patel adopted a regular studio practice in 2017, and in 2022, she established Devi Art Studio, launching her professional art career. In 2023, Patel held her first solo exhibition, “Let Me Find The Words,” at Red Delicious Press in Aurora, Colorado. She is a member of Edge Gallery in Lakewood, Colorado, and regularly presents new work through individual and group exhibitions. 

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