“What is the relationship a person has to a landscape, their land, and a home?” Shalmali Shetty speaks about her career as a curator, global themes of home and homecoming, and the changing atmosphere for artists around the world.

- Deekshith Pai

An old woman returns to her ancestral home, 25 years after her death, in a ghostly form to save her residence. The curatorial story in Shalmali Shetty’s exhibition, “The nights will follow the days,” at the Serendipity Arts Festival, Goa, explains: “This land had now been inherited, occupied, transformed, sold, acquired; perhaps, this was her last visit. Before her home is demolished…

“This is my land… this here, is my home… I live here… I belong here! This belongs to me!”

Shetty brought together five artists who explore these themes in depth in their various art forms: Alia Syed, Amba Sayal-Bennett, Munem Wasif, Shiraz Bayjoo, and Sumakshi Singh. This was Shetty’s first major curatorial project, resulting from the Curatorial Research Fellowship she was granted by Art South Asia Project and Serendipity Arts Foundation, and supported by the Faizal and Shabana Foundation. “The nights will follow the days” explores the complex themes of spectral memories and hauntology associated with migration and displacement through the narratives from South Asia, its colonial past, and the lived experiences of the communities who were forced to migrate.

In an interview with Shetty, we explore her career as a curator, global themes of home and homecoming, and the changing atmosphere for artists around the world. Edited excerpts:

“The nights will follow the days” explores the complex themes of spectral memories and hauntology associated with migration and displacement through the narratives from South Asia, its colonial past, and the lived experiences of the communities who were forced to migrate.

The Chakkar: Tell us how you found interest in curatorial studies.

Shetty: I completed my Bachelors in Painting and Printmaking from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in 2015. I perhaps felt a little disconnected given theories and academics that weren't necessarily part of this more technical course. Hence, I decided to pursue my MA in Arts and Aesthetics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. It is here that I started my research and writing practice that would go on to anchor my career. It was an integrated course between Visual Arts, Cinema and Theatre and required a lot of reading and writing, which was very different from my visually-oriented Bachelor’s. Post my education, I started working in Delhi as a freelance writer for art magazines which involved researching on various topics, but it also meant that, having just graduated, I was able to explore and expand my connections while based there. I was also working with galleries and artists.

But I wanted to explore something beyond these efforts. I wanted to continue with a course in art curation, given my backgrounds now both in the technical and the theoretical; I thought this would add further value to the learnings. But there wasn’t a full-fledged course in curation being offered in India, although some museums and institutions now offer it as electives, and is also being encouraged as a study and practice through grants and residencies offered by galleries, organizations, and other funding bodies.

Curation, simply put, is a practice of care for material objects and collections largely in the (Western) museum context, acquired by and showcased by them. Historically, these collections largely comprised objects looted from the colonies and exhibited for educational purposes. Hence, the establishment of the museum, museum practices, and courses focusing on this emerged in the West. I thought, because curation is such a colonial concept, I should go and study this in the UK itself given our colonial past. And although these courses are not offered in India, there are (a limited number of) scholarships to study these courses in the UK and elsewhere; ironically, scholarships also being a colonial form of patronage, especially for scholars from former colonies. So, I decided to apply for the MLitt in Curatorial Practice (Contemporary Art) offered by the Glasgow School of Art, to focus on more contemporary practices of art and curation. Wanting to live in a place outside London, and Glasgow being the cultural capital of Scotland, I decided to go there.

The Chakkar: What did the course offer? What new elements did it introduce?

Shetty: Curation also involves the process of selecting artworks based on research ideas, findings, or sometimes thematically, to then arranging them meaningfully, to provide an experience to the audience. It involves being creative on the one hand: coming up with an idea, undertaking extensive research, and writing to put this research into text and context, further, engaging with artists and their practices to select works and projects for the exhibition.

On the other hand, [there is] a lot of time-consuming management and admin work, where the curator takes on the role of a mediator, communicating between the artists, the galleries, or the institutions, and overseeing the different logistical requirements. So, while the exciting part involves researching various topics and interacting with the artists and their works, the unfortunate side involves the practicality of these ideas. How do you give material form to an idea, or a dream? Further, while there always are technical or logistical issues involved, there also is the further consideration of socio-political climate that play a major part in deciding whether an idea can be executed or not in a given space and context.

As for choosing Contemporary Curation, I wanted to explore curation from the lens of contemporary art. What are the ways we can revisit a past, what are the issues we need to reconsider, what really does decolonization of the arts, museums, institutions mean to us, especially in the present context; what are the conversations we need to have in the contemporary capacity, to change approaches and behaviours towards inculcated forms of art-making, displaying, and perceiving? What should this mean to me coming from a past colony in the Global South? Hence, exploring this course, especially taught within a white institution, was all the more interesting.

The Chakkar: For your exhibition at Serendipity (“The nights will follow the days”), how did you choose your particular theme? How did the story fit in with the artist’s works, and vice-versa? Were there any changes that you made necessarily to the story to connect it to the artists’ works?

Shetty: The story I wrote in the form of a curatorial note has been with me for some time. I had been planning to develop it into an article as a part of another project, though I didn’t move forward with it. That is when I came across this Curatorial Fellowship, and I decided to develop this story into an exhibition.

The idea was to keep the story intact. Given that my larger research explores themes of memories, archives, and hauntology, I initially wanted to explore the themes of migration across the seas: trans-oceanic histories and memories. Coming from the coastal town of Mangalore in the Southwestern part of India, I and my family have never directly experienced the histories and consequences of the Partition, which, being more recent, makes up a significant part of our history. Other strands of histories are not always discussed at length, not so much of the Southern regions, or even the histories of indentured labour for that matter, which caused the large movement across the Indian Ocean to Mauritius, and all the way to the Caribbean, and this does not even necessarily make up our textbooks. Instead, these are histories that are talked about more in the South Asian, African, and Black diasporas living in the UK, that introduced me to lived experiences beyond the framework of India and South Asia.

“What makes a place an archive of lived experiences? What makes you feel a certain emotion in a certain place and time? What is the relationship a person has to a landscape, their land, and a home?”

I soon realized that this was a very vast area to study, and it seemed far-fetched to delve into this given that I had just three months of the fellowship, and also because it would have proved challenging to find younger artists working with these specific histories. At this time, I was juggling three part-time jobs, a writing grant, and my debut solo curatorial exhibition in Glasgow. So, I decided to expand my themes, to include histories of the Indian Ocean, the Partition, and the Rohingya crisis as instances of the ongoing consequences of these migrations.

However, the research still held onto the core themes, and the story unfolded as I wished it to be narrated.

The Chakkar: Your curatorial story is rooted in Coastal Karnataka. The elements you mention, especially the food, is something that coastal communities will relate with. But your story also connects the works of global artists working from different parts of South Asia and the Indian Ocean. What made you believe that this story could have a global appeal?

Shetty: There are some stories that I connect with on a very personal level. This incident happened in my maternal grandmother’s village of Kundapura in Karnataka, and was experienced by my uncle and his friend, in the house adjacent to our ancestral home. This story is of an old woman who returns, displaced from her land, and has now returned, seemingly in her afterlife, to claim her land and home. Or perhaps, it was just my uncle and his friend’s memory of her that transpired in that given time and place, projected onto someone else that reminded them of her. The story was relayed to my mother, who in-turn narrated it to me. I had so many questions but no answers. So, I decided to base my exhibition on this story.

Coincidently, I was born the same year this woman passed away, and this was also a socially-disruptive year, with the demolition of the Babri Masjid. There were a lot of overlaps, and it felt like she was returning repeatedly to be remembered, to make her story known: through my uncle, my mother, through me, this exhibition, this article.

Since it is a story from my native [land], I still feel a sense of nostalgia thinking about my grandmother’s house, which is now demolished. So, through the curatorial story, I have made references to particular dishes, or the sounds and smells of the place, to set the stage for that nostalgia to work through, and draw a picture for the reader of a moment in time. It is this sense of nostalgia that gives way to visible and invisible memories—and visuals transpire. Through this, I make connections to bigger themes from our history and current conditions, such as the themes of displacement, migration, and spectral memories associated with landscapes. What makes a place an archive of lived experiences? What makes you feel a certain emotion in a certain place and time? What is the relationship a person has to a landscape, their land, and a home?

I try to apply these themes to the histories of the Global South: the geopolitical tensions causing forced displacements and environmental degradation, further forcing migration, the colonial histories and its repercussions, and the internal conflicts and politics. Hence, I chose to work with artists whose practices reflect and respond to this. For instance, we have Wasif’s body of work, “Dark Waters” that, through photographs and text, observes the forced displacement of the Rohingyas; or Shiraz [Bayjoo’s] exploration through his two-channel video “Surface to Horizon”, of the histories of the Indian Ocean and more specifically the Chagos Archipelago, that is still fighting the colonizers to hand back the land to its rightful owners. Sumakshi [Singh’s] thread work “Pichla Darwaza” reimagines parts of her grandmother’s ancestral home that has experienced political and familial histories, until its demolition, and now stands as a spectral reminder. Amba [Sayal-Bennett’s] series of architectural prints “Dera” reimagines her grandmother’s memories of her ancestral home in Dera Ghazi Khan, now in Pakistan, which was lost to the Partition. Her grandmother migrated to England and named her new home Dera in memory of this lost home. Finally, Alia [Syed’s] film, Panopticon Letters, detailing Jeremy Bethem’s 18th century idea of an ideal prison, can be considered a precursor to modern forms of surveillance. [It] looks at the ideas of colonization, control, and authority in relation to our bodies. All these works are hence connected in some ways to the story.

I chose to write this story in place of a curatorial note rather than writing in curatorial jargon, so that viewers coming from all backgrounds (especially to a festival) would be able to connect with it at a personal level, to then connect to the larger themes from it. In fact, many from the visitors—especially local Goans—came to me and talked about how they associated with the story of the woman trying to return to her home, perhaps because of their own familial history of migration.

The Chakkar: What was the process of selecting the artists, and what challenges did you face in the selection process?

Shetty: Once my themes were fixed, I researched, and also through recommendations, shortlisted between 20-25 artists whose works responded to my themes. The process involved connecting with them, talking about their various projects, and checking their schedules, amongst other things, to eventually bring it down to the smaller number. I was also torn between choosing younger artists, mid-career, and more established artists, and also in deciding between geographies. Would I want to work only with the diaspora based in the UK, would I want to look outside of the South Asian diaspora? Should I make it cross-cultural? What about also including Goan artists, as the festival is taking place in Goa? Some of this proved challenging, as I realized, for instance, inviting senior artists would involve a considerable amount of time and resources, and including artists from outside the South Asian diaspora, would again require more time to fully feel confident that I am understanding their histories and lived experiences. So, I decided to work with artists across all stages of their career, mostly mid-career, working between the UK and parts of South Asia. This gave me the opportunity to engage in their extensive research and work, and that provided me with a great learning opportunity.

There were, of course, several challenges that transpired in the process of procuring the works as well. For instance, I approached artists with certain works of theirs in mind, but some of these works were either already in other locations, or would already have been part of an exhibition or collection. Some of the artists even wanted to develop new work, but that would again prove challenging considering that this wasn’t a commission. Logistics and shipping are also time-consuming and tricky, as one can never calculate delays. It was easier to include artists working with moving-image and films, as that would not require any extensive paperwork. But to reduce the monotony of only video works, I included physical works such as Sumakshi’s based in India, or Amba’s prints that were reproduced, while I carried another of her works from the UK, or Wasif’s framed series that were shipped from Mumbai.

I try to apply these themes to the histories of the Global South: the geopolitical tensions causing forced displacements and environmental degradation, further forcing migration, the colonial histories and its repercussions, and the internal conflicts and politics.

There were also concerns around representation and context. Given a country rife with politics, I had to negotiate conversations between the artists and the institutions, to ensure there would be no public reaction of sorts, given that this was a whole public-facing festival. This is when questions around curatorial responsibilities came up: What are my politics, who am I platforming, who am I protecting, how does censorship work, how does surveillance work, how would the public respond, what is artistic freedom, creative independence or the curatorial voice, and what would this mean for institutions that work within politically-rife landscapes? I don’t have the answers, but given the current global predicaments, one is always presented with these challenges.

The Chakkar: I also came across UK-based Bangladeshi artist Sofia Karim’s name in your curatorial description. How did she contribute to this exhibition?

Shetty: Sofia was a part of the initial set of artists, until she had to withdraw. Her contribution to this exhibition is immense, and her political works and activism has been extensive. She is an architect based in London and also the niece of the Bangladeshi photographer and activist Shahidul Alam. Her work for this exhibition came from a very personal space, of the friendship she shares with Professor G. N. Saibaba, and a call for his release. Our long conversations on the collaborative display were such a learning curve for me, but sadly we had to agree that the works presented to a public-facing festival may have carried a huge risk of public backlash. But these discussions helped in shaping my research more acutely, as well as my role and responsibility as a curator. I look forward to working with her in the near future, in a different geographical context.

The Chakkar: You are an artist and you are going to continue this journey. In continuation to the above, what do you think is an artist’s complete freedom? What are the hindrances you face in achieving this freedom?

Shetty: There are multiple factors that determine an artist’s freedom. I have my own ideologies that I have cultivated over the years. My work or my curatorial projects will reflect these leanings. I would also then choose to work with artists who share similar ideologies and reflect them. It is important not just to research the theoretical aspects and present these research findings in the exhibition, but to also research on the backgrounds of artists and collaborators, the history of an institution and their associations, who the funders are, the history of a building, gallery, or place; to further understand the political affiliations in relation to the political landscape of a country, and negotiate these conversations before putting up an exhibition.

But there are times when things get trickier. Today, to be a responsible cultural practitioner one needs to question everything. Yes, we need funding, but where is this money coming from? What or who else are they funding? One needs to be conscious, because once you receive funding support through an institution, later criticizing them or the regimes they support, becomes difficult or conflicting.

But how do emerging artists, curators or other creative practitioners navigate this? The art world isn’t always full of opportunities, as funding is minimal. When you get an opportunity, you will take it without any questions asked, because at that stage you just want to set your career, as it is a make-or-break situation. Sometimes, refusing to work with galleries with powerful political backing can even end your career. But by choosing to work with them, on the other hand, one might also lose their followers and well-wishers. It does put one in a dilemma, but I think one always needs to start somewhere, take that funding, to work your way up, and then consciously and purposefully, work from within that space or institution, to bring about the much-needed conversations and changes. And if it still doesn’t work, you end that relationship there.

Another thing I want to add is about creative freedom when it comes to working with artists or collaborators. As a curator, am I just showcasing the works of the artists the way they want it to be shown; are we only just installing their works without much thought? Or are we actually building a long-term dialogue and relationship with the artist; to consider various collaborative approaches to displaying their works in that given context? I do ponder on these questions: How is the curator’s voice coming through? How do we navigate working with multiple projects and practices, and ensure to balance all the ideas and voices on the same plane? But this is of course different for every project. Each time it’s a new experience.

The Chakkar: You have worked in between two countries, India and the United Kingdom, specifically Scotland, that are distinct in terms of the socio-economic background as well as the political atmosphere. As an artist, what are the differences you have witnessed in terms of art production in these countries?

Shetty: After having lived in Delhi for four years, I chose to move to Glasgow, a smaller, calmer, and slower place, to be able to think, reflect, and ideate. Glasgow provided this space. Scotland also feels much more stable compared to England, with a liberal and a warm community of people. This has helped shape a very different work culture there. This is also very different to the work culture in India. There, it is easier to work as a freelancer on multiple independent projects, and the pay scale based on Scottish Union hourly rates of pay, is fair. This also means that you are able to maintain a work-life balance and not feel exploited of your skills, as an hourly payment system ensures this doesn’t happen. But of course, doing multiple projects can also be challenging, because every day looks different. However, if one is good at time management, then you also make time to research and develop your own body of work, in parallel to these jobs. Also, the funding system for the arts in the UK, is open to organisations and individuals to apply to, making funding more accessible and convenient to initiate creative projects. There is also support provided to individuals with accessibility needs and childcare. Of course, it has some issues, but this system encourages a more stable and gradual development in the arts and alleviates stress. The arts workers in Scotland are also more vocal, liberal, and in solidarity with many causes. This gives the artists the space to explore complex and sensitive themes and bring about much-needed change.

In India, the funding system works differently. There is not so much government allocation of budget to the arts, and there are no central funding bodies, making funding more so dependent on individual patrons, which cannot be accessed by everyone.

But again, this kind of an environment in Scotland also stems from a vastly different socio-economic demography of the place. It’s a smaller population, and being a former colonial power, the advancements in the country occurred much earlier that has led to its current environment. India has a far more challenging economic and political landscape and hence a direct comparison isn’t easy.

The Chakkar: Finally, tell us about your future projects.

Shetty: Much of it is yet to be figured out, and that is the life of an independent curator. Working independently on curatorial projects is something I definitely enjoy doing, as it is independent of directly working with institutions, giving rise to a different experience every time and new forms of learning that come with it. I may want to continue doing it for some time, provided that I receive more such opportunities. But on the other hand, at some stage in my life, I will want to do a full-time job, because the stability and the very hands-on experience that one gains from it—as well as the wider network of people you connect with—will be very important in the long run working as a curator.

This fellowship and exhibition were starting points for my wider research, so I will continue working in this direction. Perhaps I may work towards a PhD., and I’m looking for a practice-based one so it isn’t pure academia, as that won’t necessarily hold my interest. As of now, leading from this fellowship, I was one of the twenty international curators invited by Art Dubai earlier in March for their Invited Curators Programme, where I had the opportunity to interact with other early, mid-career and established curators, and engage more deeply with works of Middle-Eastern artists, as well as also galleries and collectives coming from across the world. This was such an exceptional experience, being introduced to a cultural landscape very different from both India and the UK. That’s all for now.

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Deekshith R Pai is a freelance documentary photographer and writer, with a primary interest in the development sector especially communities, gender, livelihoods, and ecology. He is also a film enthusiast and loves analysing films through various social lenses. You can find him on Instagram: @dr.pai98 and Twitter: DRPai98.

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