Photograph © Chinar Shah
Photograph © Chinar Shah
Photograph © Chinar Shah
Photograph © Chinar Shah
Photograph © Chinar Shah
Photograph © Chinar Shah
The work examines contemporary celebrations of the colonial past through complex relationships between the Commonwealth countries and their colonizer. The post-colonial nation-state is not only defined by a critique of the colonial, but also in its desire of the colonial. At the last Royal wedding, the bride’s veil was adorned with floral motifs from all the 52 Commonwealth countries. A gesture steeped in the colonial arrogance, I go on a journey to find the flower that represented India on that veil in the UK. These images in their fragility, materiality, and indexicality, chronicle not only my journey but also the journey of the colony.
The work was made possible due to generous support from AHRC for the project Articulating Women and Bluecoat, Liverpool.
Image Details:
Image 1: C-Type Print, Expired Fuji Crystal Archive Paper, 2019
All the other images: Polaroid transfer, Archival cotton rag paper, 2019
20 November
