Anam Ki Almari (The Trophy Cupboard), 2023
Solo Exhibition at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum (2nd November 2023 - 7th July 2024)
I was the 20/20 artist-in-residence at Kelvingrove from August 2022 - January 2023. Anam Ki Almari presents the culmination of my research into Glasgow Museums’ South Asian collection as a film installation and ceramic works. This new work creatively re-appropriated the objects collected from the Glasgow International Exhibition (1888) – more specifically the “Indian Pavilion” – uncovering rituals, traditions and the communal act of making as a way to overcome subjugation and reclaim the colonial gaze.
Glasgow International 1888 Map
Glasgow Newspaper from 1888 talking about the Indian Pavillion and workers
Throughout the research and development, I fostered collaborations with South Asian community groups in Glasgow. These included the Glendale Women’s Café, Glasgow Sitare and the young changemakers from the Our Shared Cultural Heritage group within Kelvingrove. I invited them to the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre to handle the selected objects from my research and share stories through oral storytelling, hand building clay and singing workshops. The collaborations have been an integral part of how the work developed and were a cathartic way to uncover the very human narratives behind these 'ornamental' objects.
Glasgow Sitare singing group run by Ankna Arockiam at Glasgow Museums Resource Centre for a singing and oral storytelling workshop
The performers in the film embody some of these objects that Arif found in the collection. These objects – represented in human form – revitalise rich South Asian customs and heritage, resisting their portrayal as mere souvenirs from the British Empire. Through the presence of performers, she reminds us that it was more than just the appropriation of an object and its history. The severity of the damage and confusion caused through colonialism was on a human level. By shedding light on the hidden histories, the work recontextualizes Glasgow's colonial legacy and the South Asian heritage within the British Empire.
