A new solo exhibition by artist Arpita Akhanda will open at Emami Art in Kolkata on 9 October 2026. Titled Under the Moon Across Many Waters, the exhibition runs until 26 December 2026 and marks Akhanda’s first major solo presentation at the gallery. Bringing together paper weavings, textile-based works, installation and archival materials, the exhibition examines inherited memories, migration histories and the continuing impact of displacement across generations.
A Decade of Artistic Research
Developed over the last two years, the exhibition draws from more than a decade of Akhanda’s multidisciplinary practice. Working across photography, performance, video, drawing, installation and weaving, the artist investigates how memories are carried through family stories, photographs, documents and everyday objects. The exhibition focuses on the afterlife of historical displacement rather than on a single historical event, examining how experiences of migration become embedded within family histories and daily life.
According to the artist, memory is not linear but repeatedly reconstructed through storytelling, recollection and loss. Archival photographs and family documents appear throughout the exhibition in altered and reimagined forms, reflecting the fragmented nature of remembrance.
Family Histories and Partition Legacies
The exhibition is rooted in the histories of Akhanda’s own family, whose members migrated from regions that are now in Bangladesh following the Partition of Bengal. References to Comilla, Barishal and Faridpur appear throughout the works, connecting personal narratives with broader histories of migration and belonging. Family photographs, letters, telegrams and oral histories become starting points for new visual interpretations that explore both memory and absence.
Akhanda’s wider practice has consistently explored themes of home, migration and intergenerational memory. Through performance, photography and weaving, she examines how inherited experiences continue to shape contemporary identities. Emami Art
Weaving Memory into Material Form
At the centre of the exhibition is Akhanda’s ongoing engagement with weaving as both process and metaphor. Archival photographs are cut into strips and rewoven, creating fragmented images that reveal and conceal information simultaneously. The artist describes the woven structure as a meeting point between past and present, where memories are reconstructed through physical acts of making.
Highlights of the exhibition include:
- Large-scale paper weaving works derived from family archives
- A new kinetic installation examining borders and movement
- Akhanda’s first presentation of Jacquard weaving projects
- Textile-based works developed over the past five years
- Installations exploring memory, geography and displacement
The Meaning Behind the Title
The title Under the Moon Across Many Waters reflects the exhibition’s interest in distance, geography and time. In the exhibition narrative, the moon functions as a shared point of reference across generations and locations, while water becomes a symbol of movement, transformation and memory. Together, these elements create a framework through which the artist considers places connected through migration yet separated by political borders and historical change.
About the Artist
Born in 1992, Akhanda completed her BFA and MFA in Painting from Kala Bhavana, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan. Her previous solo exhibitions include Weaving Water at Kyoto Art Centre in Japan and Körper: The Memory Collector in Switzerland. Her work has also been presented internationally through exhibitions, residencies and art fairs across Europe and Asia. In 2025, she received the Sovereign Asian Art Prize and was later selected to serve on the jury for the 2026 edition. Emami Art
Event at a Glance Table
| Event | Details |
| Title | Under the Moon Across Many Waters |
| Artist | Arpita Akhanda |
| Venue | Gallery 1, Emami Art, Kolkata, India |
| Opening Date | 09 October 2026 |
| Exhibition Dates | 09 October – 26 December 2026 |
| Organiser | Emami Art |
| Website | https://www.emamiart.com |
Takeaway
Under the Moon Across Many Waters brings together personal history, archival research and contemporary artistic practice to explore how memories survive across generations. Through weaving, installation and performance-based approaches, Arpita Akhanda examines the relationship between home, migration and belonging. The exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to engage with questions of memory and identity while reflecting on broader cultural histories that continue to shape contemporary society.
