NNN08

SHRINE

Rah Naqvi

Amsterdam

hers is the song I will forever sing

The gharara was a traditional household garment worn in the north-central parts of India, particularly in the Muslim majority states. In the work hers is the song I will forever sing, the garment used by the artist was once heavily embroidered with gold and silver zari (thread) and worn by the artist's grandmother at her wedding. The embroidery was later removed, burnt and sold for money as the family struggled with financial insecurity. The artist has re-embellished the garment, creating a dictionary of motifs that resemble care, systems of resilience and the eternal joy they received from their matriarch. Two women stand beneath a mulberry tree, hanging from its branch and shaking it to gather fruit. Another holds a blanket underneath, waiting for the fruit to fall.

Rah Naqvi is an Indian artist, based in Mumbai/Amsterdam. Their work engages in narratives themed around religious and societal polarisation, centring art and their tool for activism. The materiality and techniques in their work are at play to create familiarity with the viewer, with satire, whimsical props, and softness you are made to believe something joyous awaits.