Ghar am Masala
2025
objects
various spices
photo: Krystof Kriz
'Topophilia' (From Greek topos "place" and -philia, "love of") is a term coined by the geographer Tuan to refer to "the affective bond between people and place". In his study of Environmental Perception, Attitudes and Values (1974) he describes the emotional and cognitive ties that individuals develop with a particular location, encompassing a sense of fondness and belonging. This bond can be deeply personal, influenced by memories, experiences, and cultural identity.
'Ghar am Masala' explores the complex nature of diasporic identity. I've migrated to a new country, culture and language several times. One thing that has remained constant is a box of spices that's traveled with me as a treasured extension of myself. The Indian home can be viewed as an institution, where spices play a central role in shaping the social, cultural and emotional dimensions of identity and well-being. They're used for daily meals, rituals, religious ceremonies, festivals, medicine and spiritual healing.
The homes, made of spices, with their smells, transport me to my home country, India, evoking a deep sense of place and rootedness, while the row of houses with slanted roofs are strongly reminiscent of a street in a German village where I now live. 'Ghar' is 'home' in Hindi, my mother tongue. The title is a play on 'garam masala' which means 'hot spices' and city names in Germany like Frankfurt am Main.
News From Somewhere, 2025, exhibition, Atelierele Scanteia, Bucharest, Romania
