Arpita Shah’s Nalini offers a contemplative look at family histories, maternal ancestry and the movement of people around the planet. Focusing mainly on her links with her mother and her grandmother, who shares the name Nalini with a type of lily or lotus flower, Shah illustrates a journey of emotional and physical connections which traverses physical and temporal space with a delicate but steady hand.
Combining modern photographic techniques with rediscovered family photographs, personal effects and documents with spiritual symbolism, Nalini presents the viewer with something which sits between the feverish clarity of a well-formed allegory and a cabinet of curiosities. It faces the viewer with bits and pieces, ephemera and curio, allowing them to create their own narrative links and points of focus within Shah’s wider structure. At a time where personal minimalism and extreme decluttering have become million-pound industries, such realisation of personal items is a reminder of the dangers of complete depersonalisation. An old comb or an outdated document may not bring immediate joy but in time, it might have its own story to tell.
On the walls Shah’s photography is both striking and touching. Her focus on the body has an intimacy to it which underscores the closeness and bond of these three women, the sort of delicate proximity and knowledge of another’s hair or flesh which can only be gained through trust and time. It can be jarring initially as the subjects are never fully revealed, instead we gaze on close up snatches of figures seemingly lost in their own world, unaware of being viewed. It is welcoming too though, the softness of Arpitah’s palette making for a feeling of warmth and understanding.
Time courses through everything in the room, simultaneously circular as the seasons change and life comes and goes in its natural rhythm, and linear as those natural elements create a bridge connecting young to old. We flit between the past and the present. Moving between objects and images long held dear, bringing them into the now and allowing them to give us a glimpse perhaps of the future. We are invited to actively participate in that manipulation of time as we pick up a looking glass, and peer through to discover the staff of Krishna Dairy in Nairobi which was operated by Shah’s great grandfather. In a loose triptych, two generations become as one lying in the same pose, bridged by waterlilies, time and nature coming together as if to strengthen the togetherness that these women share.
Elsewhere the seas features, forever moving and cleansing, renewing and eroding; a constant presence evoking ideas of nostalgia, distance and thoughtfulness. This is a journey of discovery for Arpita Shah, one which we are invited to share part of. To learn a little about traditions and family heritage that may in turn allow us to appreciate our own in new ways.
At the heart of Nalini is a sense of resolve. A determination to tell the stories of Arpita’s maternal ancestors and to place herself among their canon, treasured and protected by their care. To ensure that she carries them with her, no matter what may separate them.
– reviewed for Photomonitor by John McDougall
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Arpita Shah: Nalini continues at Street Level Photoworks until 7 April 2019.
Below, three images © Arpita Shah
