Arpita Shah
Untitled (from the series "Nalini")
Framed C-Type print
41.9 x 59.4 cms
16 1/2 x 23 3/8 ins
16 1/2 x 23 3/8 ins
Series: Nalini
271836
Provenance
Arpita ShahExhibitions
9 February–7 April 2019: Nalini, Street Level
Photoworks, Glasgow.
12 October–16 November 2019: Nalini, An Lanntair, Stornoway, Isle of
Lewis, part of Purvai.
17 January–17 March 2020: Nalini, Impressions Gallery, Bradford.
6 October 2020–11 April 2021: Towner International, Towner Eastbourne (group
exhibition).
12 April–July 2024: Nalini, Duff House, Banff; Street Level Photoworks
with Historic Environment Scotland. Closing date differs between sources (14 or
21 July); exact date unconfirmed.
13 June–4 October 2026: Nalini, Firstsite, Colchester.
Publications
Illustrated: Nalini: Captions and additional words from Arpita Shah, Impressions Gallery, 2020, p. 8.Literature
2018: Emilia Terracciano, 'Nalini (ongoing)', 1000 Words, online essay.2018: Emilia Terracciano, 'Arpita Shah: Nalini', 1000 Words: 10 Year Anniversary Print Edition, p. 156.
2019: Emilia Terracciano, 'Nalini: Memory of Things', Street Level Photoworks exhibition minigraph.
2019: 'Nalini portfolio', NOTES, issue 5. 26 February
2019: Frank McElhinney, 'Exhibition Review: Arpita Shah, Nalini, Street Level Photoworks', Writing on Scottish Photography.
2019: John McDougall, 'Arpita Shah: Nalini', Photomonitor.
2020: Arpita Shah, 'Nalini: Captions and additional words from Arpita Shah', Impressions Gallery exhibition guide, 24 pp.
Winter 2021; online 8 March 2021: Clare Samuel (cur.), 'She & Her & Me', BlackFlash, issue 37.3.
2021; online issue files dated 2022: Arpita Shah, with text by Frank McElhinney, 'Nalini', PIX: Passages: a subcontinental imaginary.
15 September 2022: 'On migration, memory, and loss: artist Arpita Shah documents her family history', Harper’s Bazaar India, online.
Spring 2025; online May 2025: Arpita Shah, 'Nalini', Art Journal, vol. 84, no. 1, pp. 7–21; Art Journal Open, 15 May 2025.
March 2023: Lodoe Laura, 'Arpita Shah’s Nalini', Feminist Photography Network.
Spanning India, East Africa and the UK, Nalini explores the connected histories of Arpita Shah, her mother and her grandmother. Bringing contemporary portraits and still lifes together with family photographs...
Spanning India, East Africa and the UK, Nalini explores the connected histories of Arpita Shah, her mother and her grandmother. Bringing contemporary portraits and still lifes together with family photographs and heirloom objects, the series traces the effects of migration, distance and loss across generations. Shah’s search through family archives and visits to places connected with her maternal ancestors led to new discoveries about their lives and relationships. The title is her grandmother’s name and the Sanskrit word for lotus. Flowers recur as offerings to the women in her family: the lotus symbolises femininity, fertility and rebirth, while bougainvillea connects memories of India and East Africa. Photographs of bodies, possessions and places bring these family histories together.