Mequitta Ahuja materially synthesizes her multicultural heritage into collaged works that evoke the process of identity formation. The Baltimore-based artist draws on her South Asian and African American background in her art, taking inspiration from Mughal manuscripts, Buddhist wall drawings, and Western art techniques. Ahuja’s drawings feature her alter ego enveloped in mythological narratives. “Instead of starting with the plain page, I’m starting it with this layer of culture so that when I’m building my imagery, it’s really a wrestle between the figure and the ground,” Ahuja has said. “In the end, there’s this integrated, stitched-together element between them.”