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.


This diptych pairs English Blue, a portrait of Nalini seen from behind in pale blue clothing with her grey hair braided, with Bombay, a photograph of a blue-grey sea and horizon. Frank McElhinney identifies the portrait as Nalini looking across Ahmedabad from her family apartment, and reads it in relation to her continuing longing for Nairobi after the family’s return to India. The shared blue tones connect the figure, the distant city and the sea.