May 30, 2024
Helen Kanitkar Departmental Library
Fifth Floor Hall Annex
SOAS, University of London (London, UK)
My experimental video essay “Along the Grain: Presence-ing Diasporic-Settler Masculinized Memory” (2024) was presented alongside the work of twelve postgraduate artists in “The Act of Making Home,” an onsite and virtual exhibition curated and presenting works by students of the ‘African and Asian Diasporas: Culture, Politics, Identities’ module led by Dr. Hannah Bennett and Dr. Giulia Casentini.
The exhibition traverses the collective, complex processes of creating a sense of home within the learning for migration and diasporas. Through diverse mediums, the featured artists explore the multifaceted experiences of cultural identity, belonging, and the reimagining of home in a globalised context. This exhibition is a tapestry of narratives, each revealing the resilience, adaptation, and creativity inherent in the diaspora journey. It explores how cultural practices construct and thus express personal and collective identities.
Featured Artists: Alizée Z. Leclerca De Beer, Ben Oliver, Christine Toelle, Dina Varpahovsky, Ella Porteous, Carolina Sanchez, Jade Jean Harris, Jhani Randhawa, Nirmiti Vinay Sawant, Rbeeza Mobeen, Sarah Rakotonirina (Saz), Sarah Vogelsanger, Scarlett Haig