Since 2017, my paintings, drawings, and prints have addressed the migration crisis and the rise of populism and xenophobia around me. Alongside, I have been curating shows with artists that I met in national and international residencies. With these diverse and inspiring artists, I was able to form ‘inBEtween’- an ever-expanding group of 30 plus artists from the United States, South America, Germany, and India, whose work addresses intersectionality, displacement, and immigration/migration. All the artists in the group create work about the ‘other.’ Each artist agreed to take the show to their location, co-curating an exhibition with me where we invite local artists and involve communities. Over 2017-2020, we have had ten shows with accompanying community engagement.
Each exhibition centers on the global Migration crisis and focuses on local issues. In January 2020, I curated ‘YOU WILL KNOW ME, Migration Stories’ at Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi. The large multimedia show was accompanied by a seminar featuring Ashis Nandy and my collaborators at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Professors Parul Dave Mukherjee and Nivedita Menon, and other prominent intellectuals and activists, and artists. At the time, India was ablaze with sectarian conflict sparked by CAA (Citizen’s amendment act), a blatantly discriminatory law that targeted a Muslim minority. It was an inspiring moment of resistance and solidarity, and our show and seminar on populism and scapegoating was timely.
