Sarojini Lewis, Edwin van Gelder (Mainstudio), and Jap Sam Books invite you cordially to the book launch of A Shift of Identity. Visuals of Migrant Women, the upcoming artist book by Sarojini Lewis on 18 September. 

It promises to be an exciting evening, with an introduction by Setereh Noorani, a conversation between Sarojini Lewis and book designer Edwin van Gelder as they leaf through the book, musical accompaniment by Michael Lewis, a performance by Sarojini Lewis, and the opportunity to purchase the book from NAi Booksellers and enjoy a drink afterwards.

[event is in Dutch]

RSVP >>>

In A Shift of Identity, visual artist, curator, and researcher Sarojini Lewis (b. 1984, India/Suriname/Netherlands) investigates the work of contemporary Bhojpuri (North Indian) artists from the diaspora in Mauritius, Suriname, and Guyana, who explore their complex identities and heritage through their art. She draws parallels between archival photographic material from an earlier generation of Bhojpuri migrants, the oral histories of her Afro-Surinamese relatives, and the artworks of renowned Indian artists. Lewis highlights interethnic similarities in ritual practices and shared memories of Creole identities.

She has been involved in significant projects that have stimulated a collective voice for Indo-Caribbean feminist artists within her own Dutch community and beyond. Through her art, Sarojini Lewis explores how co-constructing narratives can open up new questions and interpretations of archival materials. By analysing texts and visual representations, particularly photographic and cinematic ones, Lewis demonstrates how the incorporation of agency and hybridity has enabled the female indentured labour diaspora of the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean to disrupt structures of power by establishing diverse connections without a clear trajectory. This method connects contemporary art to the archive through her open-ended, autobiographical approach.

A Shift of Identity is a richly layered exploration of identity, migration, and memory through contemporary art, blending visual culture, feminist critique, diasporic history, and postcolonial theory, all presented through a deeply personal and artistic lens.

Sarojini Lewis invites us to drift through portals to various waterways and discover experiences through oceanic movements, arriving at an unknown embarquement of ideas and reflections on the visual material culture she encounters.

Publication information

A Shift of Identity by Sarojini Lewis, final editing by Eleonoor Jap Sam, proofreading by Jasmine Carder, image editing by Sarojini Lewis, Edwin van Gelder, book design by Mainstudio (Edwin van Gelder, Ludwig Galla, Moritz Eggman), lithography by Alex Feenstra, published by Jap Sam Books.

Made possible with the support of Mondriaan Fonds, Jaap Harten Fonds, het Cultuurfonds.