Navi Kaur has made work focussing on the South Asian diaspora experience focusing on a Bangladeshi restaurant in the Staffordshire Moorlands. For decades, setting up restaurants has been an integral part of the South Asian diaspora in the UK. The local Indian (or curry house) has long been the staple Friday night favourite and rural communities have embraced the food culture and experience.

Following a period of research into restaurants that are owned and managed by Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani families across the rural West Midlands, Navi focused on the Mehek restaurant, near Leek, Staffordshire. In her work she depicts the resilience of first generation immigrants and the dreams and aspirations of their descendants.

Navi Kaur (b. 1993) is an artist and educator based in Birmingham, UK.

Navi often makes work commenting on the migrant experience, specifically around journeys, environment, storytelling and documentary. Inspired by an archive of family photographs found in her grandparents’ home, she produces work in response to the lives they have built here in the U.K, encompassing their Sikh faith and daily regimes, working predominantly through the processes of digital photography, film and installation.

Navi works closely with her Budimom, Surinder, and Baba Ji, Karamjit (paternal grandparents), to better understand her own heritage and culture through feelings of displacement in organised environments and highlights the importance of celebrating cultural diversity through cross collaboration.

www.navikaur.com

Image Credit: by Navi Kaur