On migration, memory, and loss—artist Arpita Shah documents her family history

“I have focused predominantly on my mother and grandmother, and want to explore the intimacy, distance, and longing between the several generations of women in my family,” says Shah. “My family left Africa in the early ’40s after the advent of World War II and packed with them whatever they considered precious.” In a series of photographs, artist Arpita Shah looks to capture the memories of her maternal ancestors.

Photographed over a span of four years across India, Kenya, and the United Kingdom, the series also features images of landscapes and personal artefacts. The objects—an old passport, opal stones, and a pale silk sari brought back from Nairobi—are arranged in still-life compositions, tracing the history of her family. “The sari was passed down to my grandmother, my mother, and now to me,” she adds.

Elsewhere, family photographs appear, adorned with fresh bougainvillea and roses. Shah draws from Hindu mythology, as she honours her ancestors through these floral offerings. Currently based in Edinburgh, Shah aims to evoke the commonality of experiences of the Indian diaspora through her images. “Each time I visit India, my grandmother gets frailer and more forgetful,” she says, explaining her decision to document her ancestors and tell their stories before they fade away. “I cannot explain the emotions of discovering, for the first time, a crumpled photograph of my great-grandmother standing elegantly in a photo studio in Nairobi. Had I not started this project, it would’ve quietly disappeared in an attic. I can only hope it inspires someone else to preserve their heritage.”