South Asian stories told through personal artwork

Personal stories of family, migration and identity are being shared through a community art exhibition.

The display, at St Albans Museum + Gallery during July, coincides with South Asian Heritage Month.

It is the first exhibition to be held in a new community space, created to give local groups a platform to present their own work and experiences.

It features artwork by women from the Saheli Women's Day Centre, part of HAWA (Hertfordshire Asian Women's Association Multicultural Services CIC).

The pieces were created during a workshop led by local artist Suman Gujral.

She said the project explored how craft can be used to reflect personal histories and "how we can hold on to our culture and heritage through craft".

Participants created individual pieces during the workshop, drawing on their own experiences.

"The stories are about their families and their histories. As they were working, they were sharing their stories with each other and finding things they had in common," she added.

Gujral's own work is influenced by her family's past.

She has a British-Indian-Sikh background, and her parents were displaced during the Partition of India in 1947.

"My own parents were forcibly displaced, leaving everything they owned behind," she said.

Her piece, Phul, meaning flower, is inspired by embroidery created by her mother and grandmother after they resettled.

She said her mother would have been proud to see the work on display.

"It's very important to be able to tell my parents' story in my artwork, especially now when many of those who experienced Partition are no longer here to tell their stories," she said.

Another contributor, Dina Mandalia, focused her work on a photograph of her sister Lila, who has died, and she keeps her wedding picture close to her.

"We treasure that photo all the time. My sister's photo is so beautiful," she said.

Mandalia said seeing it included in the exhibition was emotional.

"I wish she was here to see it," adding: "I talk to her before I go to bed. It helps me, and I don't feel as sad."

She joined the workshop after being introduced to the group and began attending sessions.

"As soon as I went, every single face had a lovely smile on it, so we got connected straight away," she said.

She added that the experience helped her meet new people.

"Sometimes people just stay in their own environment, so it's important they connect with others," she said.

The exhibition reflects this year's South Asian Heritage Month theme, Unity in Diversity.

Preet Cox, community engagement officer at the museum, said the new space allows communities to present their stories in their own way.

"The community space gives local groups a platform to share their stories in a way that feels authentic to them," she said.

"When communities feel represented in museums, it creates a sense of belonging."

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