Smells Like Home

Shubhadeep Mukherjee // INDIA Venue - State Art Gallery, Hyderabad Date - 21 Nov 2024 - 05 Jan 2025/ 11 AM - 6 PM My work focuses on documentary portraiture complemented by textual narratives. I employ various tools—such as text, mixed media, collages, painting, drawing, and sound—to express my thoughts and create a meaningful narrative. Through these mediums, I aim to evoke an emotional response in the viewer, inviting them to contemplate the deeper layers of existence. My work tells the stories of lost homes, specifically exploring narratives from the partition of India in 1947. It began as an effort to retell my father’s experiences as a five-year-old forced to migrate from what is now Bangladesh to India. What makes my story unique is that I present history from a child’s perspective, highlighting how, amidst sorrow, a child’s heart can find joy—memories that make an unfamiliar land feel like home. My project also includes the stories of many other migrants who have endured similar experiences of displacement. By shedding light on these shared experiences, my work advocates for compassion and the preservation of collective memory. My ultimate goal is to create a photo book that narrates these stories from the past, allowing us to connect our childhood experiences with those of others. I aim to foster a dialogue between the artwork and the viewer, inspiring people to see the world in a new light. My art serves as a reminder of the enduring human spirit and urges future generations and cultures to embrace empathy. Through experimentation with different techniques and materials, I strive to push the boundaries of conventional artistic expression, constantly challenging myself to evolve and grow as an artist.