Sneha Solanki
Sneha Solanki (born 1973, Leicester) is an artist and educator. Her practice includes citizen science, performance, sound and installation. Early life. Born to parents from an Indian heritage in Leicester – her father was born in Kenya and her mother in Navsari, Gujarat, India. Initially Solanki's father was refused entry into the UK despite holding a British passport and born under British imperial rule in Kenya. He was later admitted into the UK. Both maternal and paternal grandparents lived and work under British colonial rule in India, Iraq, Kenya and Mauritius. Her parents in the UK both worked  in Leicestershire regional manufacturing industries. Solanki has two siblings, an older brother and a younger sister. Solanki lived in Leicester until her later teens when she moved to Loughborough, UK to study art, she then moved to Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, Groningen, NL and to Dundee, UK to further her education. Career. Solanki holds a BA Hons Fine Art, Northumbria University and a MSc in electronic imaging, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, University of Dundee, UK. Solanki is an artist working in digital/technological materiality with live, unstable and emergent forms encompassing art, science and technology. Early  advocate of ‘user’ rather than ‘consumer’ of technology Sneha introduced digital arts programs into museums, specifically the Discovery Museum, Newcastle upon Tyne and the Baltic Art Gallery, Gateshead working with young people, women's, and girl's groups on digital imaging, video, net-radio/ streaming media and hand-coding. Continuing with this thread in her practice, Solanki founded and co-directed Polytechnic, an organisation working with a hands-on, open and distributed approach to art & technology where she produced, curated and led a range of national and international activity between 2002 and 2012 (see projects below) Solanki also teaches at  Newcastle University as a visiting lecturer.