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Objects of The Culture

A series of works on paper in progress at J5 Residency, Edmonton.

Objects of the Culture considers cultural objects as remnants of identity, especially within displaced and diasporic communities. For migrant and immigrant populations, these objects often become anchors of memory and belonging, carrying associations that shape a sense of familiarity and home.

As they travel across borders, their meanings shift. Objects accumulate layers of history, memory, and loss, transforming in significance as they move between cultures. They may hold traces of time, painful remembrance, or become sources of comfort, offering restorative or therapeutic presence within conditions of displacement.

Gabba is a floor covering made from repurposed old blankets in vibrant colours. As an object of reuse and care, it transforms discarded textiles into a surface that carries warmth, memory, and everyday life.

Gabba is a floor covering made from repurposed old blankets in vibrant colours. As an object of reuse and care, it transforms discarded textiles into a surface that carries warmth, memory, and everyday life.

Watercolour (handmade Indigenous artist materials developed by Anong Beam, drawing on Anishinaabe paintmaking knowledge) and gouache on paper 8.5 × 11.5 in., 2026

The Shivalinga is an object of reverence and worship in many Kashmiri Hindu households, holding deep devotional significance as a sacred form of Shiva within daily ritual and spiritual practice.

The Shivalinga is an object of reverence and worship in many Kashmiri Hindu households, holding deep devotional significance as a sacred form of Shiva within daily ritual and spiritual practice.

Watercolour (handmade Indigenous artist materials developed by Anong Beam, drawing on Anishinaabe paintmaking knowledge) and gouache on paper 8.5 × 11.5 in., 2026

The shikara is a traditional wooden boat from Kashmir, used on Dal Lake for transport, trade, and everyday life, including flower and vegetable vendors. Moving slowly across water, it carries people, goods, and memories, becoming part of the lived rhythm of the landscape.

The shikara is a traditional wooden boat from Kashmir, used on Dal Lake for transport, trade, and everyday life, including flower and vegetable vendors. Moving slowly across water, it carries people, goods, and memories, becoming part of the lived rhythm of the landscape.

Watercolour (handmade Indigenous artist materials developed by Anong Beam, drawing on Anishinaabe paintmaking knowledge) and gouache on paper 8.5 × 11.5 in., 2026

The kangri is a traditional portable firepot that offers warmth and comfort beneath the folds of the phéran during the cold winters of Kashmir. Carried close to the body, it moves with the wearer as a source of heat and survival within the landscape.

The kangri is a traditional portable firepot that offers warmth and comfort beneath the folds of the phéran during the cold winters of Kashmir. Carried close to the body, it moves with the wearer as a source of heat and survival within the landscape.

Watercolour (handmade Indigenous artist materials developed by Anong Beam, drawing on Anishinaabe paintmaking knowledge) and gouache on paper 8.5 × 11.5 in., 2026

The Sharada script has almost disappeared, now rarely used and mostly seen in Kashmiri horoscopes or historical manuscripts.

The Sharada script has almost disappeared, now rarely used and mostly seen in Kashmiri horoscopes or historical manuscripts.

Watercolour (handmade Indigenous artist materials developed by Anong Beam, drawing on Anishinaabe paintmaking knowledge) and gouache on paper 8.5 × 11.5 in., 2026

The Samovar, cultural object and was traditionally used for serving Kashmiri kehwa, and carries associations of hospitality, gathering, and domestic rituals.

The Samovar, cultural object and was traditionally used for serving Kashmiri kehwa, and carries associations of hospitality, gathering, and domestic rituals.

Watercolour (handmade Indigenous artist materials developed by Anong Beam, drawing on Anishinaabe paintmaking knowledge) and gouache on paper 8.5 × 11.5 in., 2026

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