The School of Visual Arts (SVA) hosted its annual Fine Arts: Painting and Mixed Media Residency Program this summer, culminating in two public exhibitions.

Held in the heart of Manhattan, the program brought together a cohort of emerging and mid-career artists for one month of focused studio work, peer dialogue, and public presentation.

Among this year’s selected participants was Shwetlana Mehta, a visual artist originally from Mumbai, India and currently based in New York City.

The residency took place from July 8th to August 8th 2025, offering selected artists individual studio spaces, access to faculty mentorship, and opportunities to engage with the broader art community through exhibition and critique.

Having completed her BFA at SVA just two years prior, Mehta found that returning as a resident artist proved creatively grounding and personally meaningful.

The environment reignited a sense of connection to her formative training. The residency's structure provided uninterrupted time and space for her to deepen her artistic inquiry.

Her assigned studio, filled with natural sunlight and overlooking the Manhattan streets, became a sanctuary for experimentation and reflection. During the one-month term, Mehta created eight new works: four linoleum prints and four oil paintings.

Together, the pieces continued her exploration of memory, a theme that has long shaped her visual language. Her work investigates the emotional and conceptual weight of unrecallable memories, fragments of the past that linger without clarity, through a combination of abstract and representational forms.

Botanicals, a recurring motif in Mehta’s practice, featured prominently in this new body of work. Drawn to their dual nature, delicate yet resilient, she often uses floral imagery to weave together scenes of the subconscious. This fascination with botanicals dates back to her childhood and has become a core element in her visual storytelling.

Working across painting and printmaking, Mehta employs a repetition of imagery to conjure dream-like spaces that blur the boundary between real and imagined.

She draws inspiration from psychological texts and films building layered compositions that reflect personal narratives and broader emotional truths. Her work invites viewers to navigate memory not as a linear timeline but as a shifting, symbolic terrain.

The culmination of this creative period was shared with the public through two exhibitions hosted by SVA. On August 6th, seven of her works were shown as part of the SVA Artist Residency Open Studios.

Held within the residency studio spaces, the Open Studios event offered the public a chance to view works in progress, engage directly with artists, and experience the creative environment cultivated over the program’s duration.

Additionally, one of Mehta’s pieces was featured in Still Wet, a curated group exhibition for the 2025 residency participants. The exhibition, which ran from July 29th to August 7th, was held at the SVA Flatiron Project, located at 133/141 West 21st Street, and showcased a diverse range of media and practices developed during the residency term.

While the public-facing elements were impactful, Mehta emphasized that the residency’s structure itself played a key role in shaping her creative process. The ability to immerse herself fully in her work, without the interruptions of everyday routines, allowed her to experiment more freely and pursue her themes with greater intensity. The experience, she reflected, helped refine her techniques, expand her visual vocabulary, and reconnect with the roots of her artistic voice.

The Open Studio experience also led to a significant professional opportunity. During the event, Mehta met the Editor-in-Chief of The Hudson Scholar, an independent arts and culture magazine.

Following their conversation and review of her work, Mehta was invited to be the cover artist for the magazine’s August to September 2025 issue, Volume 12, a moment of recognition that capped an already impactful residency experience.

As an alumni of SVA, her return through the residency program highlighted the continuity of learning and creative evolution within the institution’s community. Surrounded by fellow artists, familiar faculty, and the ever-changing rhythm of New York City, Mehta used the residency not only to produce new work but to deepen her relationship with her practice and place.

For those interested in artist residency programs, particularly those that offer structured support, collaborative environments, and public-facing exhibitions, Mehta’s experience at the SVA Fine Arts Residency provides a valuable example.

The program offered space for exploration, visibility through curated shows, and meaningful engagement with peers and audiences alike.

Shwetlana Mehta continues to live and work in New York City. With the momentum of the residency behind her, she is further developing the body of work initiated over the summer. Her evolving practice remains rooted in the interplay between memory, repetition, and personal symbolism.

It is now, more than ever, informed by the experience of returning to where it all began.