Priyanka Rana

Born in India in 1980 and now based in San Francisco's Bay Area, I established my full-time sculpture practice in 2018 after serving as Vice President in the exhibitions industry and working as a market research consultant. My practice centers on an intimate dialogue with wood—specifically naturally felled trunks that I transform into abstract sculptures exploring ecology, memory, and cross-cultural connection. Largely self-taught, I have developed a distinctive sculptural language through direct experimentation with materials, allowing me to create techniques that emerge organically from the wood itself rather than from prescribed methodologies.

My technical approach lies in a unique process I have developed with fire. Drawing from my Indian heritage, where fire represents sacred transformation, I use controlled charring to "paint" wooden surfaces, revealing the hidden architecture of growth rings and grain. This technique—exemplified in my redwood sculptures—involves expanding the wood's surface area threefold through careful carving, then applying fire to create rich, textured finishes that speak to cycles of destruction and renewal. The resulting works transform solid mass into something ethereal, making visible the temporal layers embedded within the material.

Beyond wood, I incorporate culturally significant textiles—saris and lungis from my multicultural community, as well as individual sari threads that I weave into carved surfaces—that bridge themes of migration and intimate history with larger environmental narratives. Recent explorations have expanded into aluminum, metal casting of wood forms, and 3D printing, maintaining my focus on the intersection of traditional craft and contemporary concerns.

My work has been widely exhibited across California, featured in prominent arts festivals, and realized through public art commissions that engage directly with local communities. I hold degrees in Mathematics and Economics and an MBA.