A solo exhibition by Alka Dass, transforms the KZNSA into a mystical, richly textured hall of remembrance, memory and time, tracing dialogues and intersections between the past and the present, the tactile and the visual. Heady incense and brightly coloured saris form an evocative and familiar backdrop to Dass’ ongoing excavation of deep ancestral connections; here in Durban, the feel of crossing an unseen threshold into the sanctity of the artists’ family home is heightened as pages of cherished family albums adorn the gallery walls, intimate and intricately hand embellished as Dass beckons us to join her in traversing the layers of memory and history. The distinctive Prussian blue of the cyanotype prints provides a bold and unapologetic contrast with the dainty, painstaking hand embroidery in pink and red hues adorning the portraits.

In this body of work, Dass pays particular homage to her ‘nani’ (maternal grandmother) who features in more than one piece. This is a fitting nod to the ritualistic process that has become the departure point for her practice; beginning with a multitude of old family albums spread open in almost haphazard, chaotic piles, Dass is joined by her nani who sifts through the layers of family memories, sharing the stories of the fading figures gazing out from the worn photographs. Her hands and voice are tender as she narrates the passages of time, connecting the past to the present, fleetingly breathing life back into the now silent forms.

These echoes of lost generations are reverently transformed and immortalised by Dass. Scenes of family life – glimpses into the mundane everyday are interspersed with special family outings and the formality of studio portraits, and lovingly adorned with sometimes delicate, sometimes graphic needlework (a traditionally gendered accomplishment stereotypically suited to feminine leisure) telling cross-generational stories of being and belonging. Still fascinated by cyanotype and its relationship with the sun, and the resultant magical qualities embodied in the image, Dass has experimented with scale in an attempt to further draw out the
narratives contained within the photographs. The almost larger than life subjects unflinchingly command attention, immersive and uncompromising in their gaze, while the smaller works offer a poetic, haunting relief. The tactility and experimentality of Dass’ practice are further pronounced by the introduction of clay, a material deeply intertwined with cultural heritage. Dass is drawn to the alchemic allure of both mediums and the idea of bringing them together, with the immediacy of clay in striking contrast with the slower processes of cyanotype.

For the Durban-born artist, the exhibition is a sentimental homecoming as she returns both to the city
she grew up, where family and community exert a lasting, sacred pull, and an exhibition space that
played a formative role in the early years of her creative practice.

Text by Sumayya Menezes