Remembering women lost in time

Indian Express

5 days ago

Some heirlooms glitter in the light, while others sit in old boxes and become heavier with time – not with rust, but memories. There is hidden silence in the objects that we inherit. In the exhibition 'Zaat', London-based artist and gemologist Sonakshi Chaturvedi explores these objects to unveil the stories that they have been carrying for decades. She particularly focuses on the unspoken lives of women who are usually remembered only through the relationships that they fulfill as a bride, mother and grandmother.
On view at The Gallery at British Council, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, until July 31, the exhibition is part of Study UK: Creative Connections II and the British Council's Best of British cultural initiative that celebrates international alumni shaping global creative discourse.
Chaturvedi's titular sculptural installation Zaat unravels matrilineal memory through the language of heirloom, metal, and meaning.
Born in Agra, she completed her MA in Jewellery and Metal from the prestigious Royal College of Art in 2024. Blending traditional craft with contemporary artistic practices, the 26-year-old represents a new generation of artists who are bending the rules.
Chaturvedi notes, 'Zaat began as a way to fortify my own nostalgia, but evolved into an act of reclamation — tracing heirloom objects that held the silent resistance of women remembered only as mothers, brides, grandmothers.'
She wants the future female descendants to remember their ancestors not just by the roles that they played but as individuals with agency, voice and dreams.
The word 'zaat' refers to identity or core sense of being. Drawing from her grandmother's wedding trousseau, Chaturvedi has crafted sculptures that use brass, white metal, cold enamel, resin-based enamel and gemstones to archive her matrilineal memory. 'At first glance, these forms appear worn, metallic and subdued – echoing the weight of tradition and domestic expectation. But within, they burst into psychedelic interiors – revealing a hidden world of colour, desire and youth,' says Chaturvedi. She notes that the dual surfaces are not an aesthetic coincidence; they mirror the lives many women have lived – outwardly dutiful, inwardly wild with colour and desire.
Every artefact in the exhibition holds fond memories for the artist. Shareefa Jar, for instance, is a brass replica of her grandmother's plastic jar in which she saved spare change. 'She would let me borrow the money to buy us both kulfis, candies, and custard apples during summer afternoons, when everyone else was asleep after lunch,' shares Chaturvedi.
Recalling another fond memory, which is the inspiration behind The Pyaaz Tiffin – brass replica of a traditional Indian tiffin carrier – she shares, 'During vacations, when I stayed with my grandparents, despite her religious and cultural beliefs, she used to chop onions for me to enjoy my meals. It showed her efforts to bridge the gap and keep us connected.' This is represented by the intertwined knot form of brooches in gold-plated white metal and cold enamel. Similarly, other artefacts, including The Anaar Vase, Shahtoot Dispenser and Pyaaz Cooker are inspired by artefacts that were once in her grandmother's possession.
Ultimately, 'Zaat' is a conversation – one that moves across generations, surfaces and silences.