Collection: 'can I tell you something...'

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

27 products
  • Amitha and Sanjeev
    Amitha and Sanjeev
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    Alka Dass
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  • Baby with teddy in the yard
    Baby with teddy in the yard
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    Alka Dass
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  • birthday cake face
    birthday cake face
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    Alka Dass
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  • Boys in the yard
    Boys in the yard
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    Alka Dass
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  • brothers in oversized coats
    brothers in oversized coats
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    Alka Dass
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  • car picinic portrait
    car picinic portrait
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    Alka Dass
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  • Dadima with her pupils
    Dadima with her pupils
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    Alka Dass
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  • east to west coast quilt 1
    east to west coast quilt 1
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    Alka Dass
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  • east to west coast quilt 2
    east to west coast quilt 2
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    Alka Dass
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  • Great grandfather
    Great grandfather
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    Alka Dass
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  • Headless
    Headless
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    Alka Dass
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  • mischievous stance
    mischievous stance
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    Alka Dass
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  • Molly the beauty queen
    Molly the beauty queen
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    Alka Dass
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  • Mom with her siblings and cousin
    Mom with her siblings and cousin
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  • Nana with boy nana on sofa
    Nana with boy nana on sofa
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  • Nani in embrace in the kitchen
    Nani in embrace in the kitchen
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  • Nani's in sarees at south beach
    Nani's in sarees at south beach
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  • Nani's siblings in the yard
    Nani's siblings in the yard
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  • Radha nani in a pinafore
    Radha nani in a pinafore
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    Alka Dass
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  • the twins
    the twins
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    Alka Dass
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  • Working on the field
    Working on the field
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    Alka Dass
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  • Shored against shins
    Shored against shins
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    Alka Dass
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  • Rats on the long road
    Rats on the long road
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  • God of small things
    God of small things
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    Alka Dass
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  • Sweetmeats from postnet
    Sweetmeats from postnet
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    Alka Dass
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  • False prophet
    False prophet
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    Alka Dass
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  • Wilding blooms
    Wilding blooms
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    Alka Dass
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