Smita Sen ’16

Growing up as a dancer, Smita Sen ’16 has always had a heightened sense of bodily aware- ness. Most dance genres emphasize control over one’s physicality to create precise shapes and forms. But Sen doesn’t only use this awareness in her performances –– it’s where her visual art comes from, too.

“Everything starts with movement,” she says. “I start any piece I’m making from a place of just sitting and being present in my body.”

Those somatic themes are at the core of Sen’s work, including her recent exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Miami. Her first solo museum show, “Embodied,” explores how the body internalizes emotions, particularly those surrounding grief, loss and memory. A multidisciplinary artist, Sen uses dance in conversation with sculpture and other visual mediums, like computer modeling.

At the heart of the exhibition is Sen’s experience of caring for her father at the end of his life; she illustrates how the body internalizes the complexities of being a caregiver at a young age. It’s a unique experience, she says, and one that many can’t fully understand until they live through it themselves.

“If you’re a young person caring for a sick, elderly or disabled family member, it can make it difficult to succeed academically, form close relationships and feel engaged in daily life,” Sen says. “So often, illness takes the wheel and dictates how things will unfold.

But art is a way to have some kind of authorship of your own story.” The insight Sen gained from being a caregiver also inspired her to give back by bringing creative experiences directly to this community. Her nonprofit, Manipura Care Network, provides a variety of free art-focused programming for young caregivers in South Florida, with transportation, meals and art supplies included.

“We’ve built this program to support these students and give them a sense of creative confidence through the work they make,” Sen says. “It’s been a wonderful program to be part of, because there’s not a lot of support for young caregivers in this country.”

— Emily Driehaus