22 | APRIL 8 - 14, 2022 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Piya Samant “Beauty is fl eeting and my desire to capture the beauty of life (be it human, fl ora or fauna) is irresistible,” writes Piya Samant. “As an introvert, I connect more with people’s body language and less with their words. Through paintings I attempt to immortalize the beauty of my subjects in their entirety; not just their face/body but also their character. Floral still lifes are a delight to paint because I am able to project emotions onto unsuspecting fl owers through the play of light and strategically placed brushstrokes.” Samant is a self-taught visual artist and art curator. Born and raised in India, she now resides and paints out of her home studio in Massachusetts. She received her master’s degrees in technology, and after working in the tech world for over a decade, decided to pursue her career as a full-time practicing artist in 2014. Sa-
“Hope S07,” oil on paper, 12.5” x 14.2,” by Piya Samant PIYA SAMANT/ ARTS WORCESTER
mant works primarily in oil but enjoys working with graphite, ink and gouache. She paints commissioned portraits of people, pets and homes. Her current body of work features three ongoing series: HOPE, a fl oral still-life series, LIFE, a fi gurative series and landscapes. Her work is available to view and purchase online, and in local museums, galleries and cafes. She is represented by PXP Contemporary and ArtsPlus galleries. To view more of Samant’s work, follow her @art.by.piyali on Instagram or visit artbypiyali.com. This Artist Spotlight is presented by Worcester Magazine in partnership with ArtsWorcester. Since 1979, ArtsWorcester has exhibited and advanced the work of this region’s contemporary artists. Its exhibitions and educational events are open and free to all. Learn more at www.artsworcester.org.
SONG TO GET YOU THROUGH THE WEEK
Jay Gudda delivers brooding ‘Snake’ Victor D. Infante Worcester Magazine | USA TODAY NETWORK
“Snake,” the recent single from New England hiphop artist Jay Gudda, is a moody, brooding piece of work with a dark edge that draws a bit of blood. The song presents a vision of the world wherein no one is trustworthy, not even the song’s narrator. It’s not an encouraging view of humanity, but there’s something darkly familiar in the song’s distorted mirror, and
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Gudda’s tightly controlled rap style sizzles with constrained emotion. “Snake,” raps Gudda, “You slithered on me/played tricks, like a wizard on me/Done cold, like a blizzard on me.” The betrayal, according to the persona, came because, “You think I slithered on you/Changed colors, like a lizard on you.” The persona gets his revenge by getting involved with his betrayer’s girlfriend: “Wait, was it hate? Was it fate?/‘Cause your Miss understood it was not a mistake.” Honestly, no one looks good in this song, but really, that’s not the point. What’s more important is the cycle of payback, and how it just tends to make everything worse with each go-round. Everyone hurts each other in the song, until all that’s left is anger: “I got out the basement, but we came out the pavement/Traded on your brother, not someone you could hang with/ You got double faces, you don’t get the basics/Sinners sing Grace, but I ain’t that gracious.” If there’s one lyrical quibble to be made about the song, it’s the multiple uses of the misogynistic expletive that rhymes with witch to represent both the persona’s and the betrayer’s romantic partners. It turns the women in the song into props, when a step forward would have created another layer of complexity. It’s not a unique problem — referring to women as “my
"Snake" is a recent music video from New England hip-hop artist Jay Gudda. SUBMITTED
(expletive)” seems to have come back into the hip-hop vernacular lately — but it’s tiresome. That aside, though, this dark little song conveys a complicated storm of emotions with skill and fearlessness, and if it’s not the most comfortable of songs, that’s just a sign it’s working the way it should.
