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For Arts Landing, Ray presents Geometry of Play, a vibrant ground mural commissioned for the pickleball courts. Painted directly onto the playing surface, the work transforms the courts into a dynamic visual landscape, merging the logic of game design with the fluidity of abstract painting. Interlocking patterns of circles, triangles, and grids reference kaleidoscopic mandalas and architectural ornamentation while playfully echoing the rules and rhythms of the game itself. As players move across the court, the mural creates a constantly shifting visual and physical experience. Ray treats abstraction as a spatial and cultural gesture of joy, inclusion, and shared encounters across identities, generations, and modes of seeing.

About the Artist

Sharmistha Ray is an artist, writer, and educator whose interdisciplinary practice spans painting, drawing, installation, and public art. Born in Kolkata and raised in Kuwait before moving to the United States, Ray’s work is shaped by experiences across South Asia, the Middle East, and the United States. Their practice explores the complexities of culture, queerness, and identity through vibrant geometric abstraction. Drawing from South Asian visual traditions, Ray’s work engages contemporary dialogues around space, embodiment, and belonging. They are a founding member of the feminist artist collective Hilma’s Ghost and currently teach at Carnegie Mellon University.

Geometry of Play by Sharmistha Ray is commissioned by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust for Arts Landing.