Maya Zane Kaisth

Maya Zane Kaisth is an artist and educator based in Pittsburgh, PA. She thinks of work as creating magic : a feeling of wonder, euphoria, inexplicable disruption. Maya uses wind and light as materials, making installations that submerge viewers into new worlds. She explores fabrics, plastics and other materials while creating life-like movement within her works. Maya's aesthetics come from her Italian grandmother, who specialized in costume jewelry and burns chicken feathers for luck. Her aesthetics come from memories of fragrant food and unparalleled vibrancy traveling through her father’s homeland, India, as a child.

Maya has a big dream. As the daughter of an Italian-American and an Indian immigrant, her experiences as a biracial woman are inextricably linked to her artistic practice. Experiencing off-key racism and sexism firsthand, and seeing contemporary artists discuss such hatred with beauty and empathy, has led Maya to create, curate and support socially engaging works. A large part of this realm of Maya's practice is organizing, attending community based events, fundraising and researching methods of communication.

Ultimately, Maya's goal is to change our political and social landscape by creating engaging public works. She wants to offer a slice of beauty to my viewers, and push them to consider the world outside of themselves.