Mumbai
Raghav Babbar
Souvenir Shop
Nature Morte is pleased to present a new project by the photographer Bharat Sikka entitled Souvenir Shop.
The series of photographs draws inspiration from Sikka’s 16-year-old daughter, Mannat’s Haiku poetry and her fascination for Japan. This project began in 2023 during their first trip to Japan together. He aimed to create an intimate souvenir to bring back to India, capturing the feelings and emotions experienced during their travels in Japan, and reflecting on the mutual influence and interpretation of cultures. Mannat's discovery of popular Japanese culture began with Studio Ghibli films, which blossomed into a fascination with Japanese writers such as Haruki Murakami and Kazuo Ishiguro. These influences profoundly shaped her perspective. Over the two trips to Japan in 2023 and 2024, Sikka developed a multilayered series of photographs, inspired by conversations with Mannat and her insights. The project evolved into a diverse collection of images, including documentation, collages, sculptures, and painted photographs. During the trips, they collected souvenirs which were integrated into the artwork, creating a narrative that bridged fantasy, fiction, and reality. This endeavour is a representation of the artist's interpretation of Japan, viewed through the lens of a personal journey of a father with his daughter.
These are two examples of the Haiku poems by Mannat Sikka that will be incorporated into the exhibition:
Shapes are seen in white,
into waves and winds they form.
Breezy, against my face.
Scrolls, books, poems,
reflect on what time was.
They bring me to the souvenir shop.
The project has been published as a book by Super Labo of Tokyo, incorporating both the father’s images and the daughter’s words, which will be available for sale at the gallery during the exhibition.
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