BLACKBURN 20|20

Social Memory: Sites of Remembrance

March 16th to April 15th, 2023

Closing Event: Artists Talk and Reception

Sat, April 15

Doors open: 3 pm

Panel discussion: 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Closing reception: 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm


Rhea Aggarwal
Siona Benjamin
Marcy Chevali
ArtSparks Collective
Shabnam Jannesari
Parvathi Kumar
Farah Mohammad
Namita Paul
Nazrina Rodjan
Ariana Sarwari
Tara Sabharwal
Ela Shah
Mona Sharma
Pallavi Sharma
Fatima Zaidi


SAWCC presents an artists talk and closing reception for our exhibition Social Memory: Sites of Remembrance. 
 

Join us first for a panel discussion addressing themes in the exhibition, which questions the symbiotic relationship between collective memory and personal identity. How does cultural consciousness prevail in our social memories? How do we navigate the fine line between cultural preservation and self representation within the diaspora? Panelists include artists and arts administrators represented in the exhibition, Rhea Aggarwal, Marcy Chevali, Nisha Nair, and Fatima Zaidi; moderated by curator Shilpi Chandra.

 

SAWCC will host a closing cocktail reception in the gallery following the talk. Join us for a final look at the exhibition!

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Memory belongs equally to the present and to the past, to the individual and to a group. How then do individual-level processes interact with collective ones, and vice versa? How does a group share, convey, and sustain memories? In the same way that individual memory shapes a person’s awareness of themselves in the present—their role within the family, workplaces, or institutions—social memory is the connective structure of groups, creating a collective consciousness of ideas and a sense of belonging. Social memory transmits the consciousness of the past to help individuals localize their memories, influence their ideas, and shape their identities. While acknowledging that sites of remembrance can often be a place of contestation, artists are uniquely positioned to reformulate meaning, to open up new manners of collectivity, and to create opportunities for sharing and passing on knowledge.

Social Memory: Sites of Remembrance reflects the concerns on artists’ minds today—from a reclamation of forgotten female South Asian histories and a continued interest in overturning the patriarchy, to a blurring of the distinction between “craft” and “fine art” and new modes of femme South Asian representation. The artists in this exhibition consciously explore the connection between social identity, collective knowledge, and historical memory; the past and present intertwine to point to a future that is open to a wider range of interpretations and expressions.

About the Curator:
Shilpi Chandra is an art historian and curator with a focus on contemporary art of South Asia and its diaspora. Her curatorial practice is rooted in making art freely accessible to lay audiences by creating exhibitions that bring people into public and community spaces. After receiving her MA in Contemporary Art from SUNY-Purchase College, she worked in the curatorial department at the Katonah Museum of Art on thematic exhibitions ranging from self-taught artists to mid-century modern architecture. At the Pelham Art Center, a community based arts organization, Shilpi was responsible for managing the exhibitions program. Shilpi also has an MBA from Columbia Business School and worked in healthcare marketing for several years. She regularly teaches adult education classes on Chinese and Indian Art History and Contemporary Asian Art.

Photos by Ariana Sarwari

Photos by Leslie Jean-Bart

As part of the exhibition Social Memory: Sites of Remembrance, join SAWCC and Kali Mushrooms for a special workshop on “cultural memory” and belonging through an exploration of the aesthetics and science of biological arts and mycology - the study of fungi.  The workshop will weave together topics on the fungal queerdom and life cycle, mycelial networks, and nootropic mushrooms, and will provide a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of our social relationships and the metabolism of our cultural memories and identities.  Sneha Ganguly aka Kali Mushrooms will also share a DIY method to culture mushroom spawn using paper waste and recyclable materials.  Mushroom tea samples will be served. 

 

Sneha Ganguly aka Kali Mushrooms, is an interdisciplinary artist working through the intersection of fine art and mycology.  Sneha loves to identify and study wild mushrooms, with a special interest in biomaterials and pigments, to create handmade papers, inks, dyes, and extracts.  Sneha co-found POC Fungi Community. She is a Teaching Assistant for the Community Mushroom Educators Program at Cornell Small Farms.  She is also the Fungus Festival Coordinator for the New York Mycological Society.  When Sneha is not looking for mushrooms and making art, she runs a small art services business, Rajas Art Services.