Charmi Gada Shah’s exhibition titled Neighbourhood Souvenirs includes works which could be defined as ‘architectural sculptures’, carefully constructed with salvaged wood and tiles from different demolished buildings in her neighbourhood, combined with construction materials such as concrete blocks and plaster. Starting with photographic documentation of demolished structures in her Mumbai neighbourhood, Charmi re‐constructs these broken interiors in a painstakingly detailed fashion into three‐dimensional, miniature, assemblages that resonate with stories of untold pasts. Her works speak of lost places – houses stripped of their meaning and associations with the inhabitants having moved out, buildings fallen to disuse, or some abandoned. Each of these spaces retains traces of history; they are souvenirs of yet another neighbourhood that is neither significant nor spectacular; places that will be forgotten only too soon. 

There will also be a side by side exhibition during the same period, featuring a solo exhibition by Sujith SN at the gallery. This exhibition is presented as part of the Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art's (FICA) Emerging Artist Award 2011 which was shared by Charmi and Sujith.

About the artist:

Charmi Gada Shah is a Mumbai‐based artist. She completed her Bachelors in Fine Arts from Raheja School of Art, Mumbai, and went on to doing her Masters in Fine Arts from Chelsea School of Art, London. She was the recipient of the Promising Artist Award from Art India and India Habitat Centre in 2009. Some of the important exhibitions she has participated in include Relative Visa, Bodhi Art Gallery, curated by Bose Krishnamachari (2009), Her Work Is Never Done, Gallery BMB (2010), and most recently Prague Biennale 5  ‐  India Pavilion curated by Kanchi Mehta (2011), and Generation in Transition‐ New art from India, Zacheta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw, curated by Magda Kardasz (2011).

Image: © Charmi Gada Shah, Vadehra Art Gallery