The story of every place is essentially a story of migration- either to the place or from it. When Soumyadeep Roy was researching about these multitudes of migrational bubbles, what caught his eye was Wajid Ali Shah’s travel to Kolkata leading him to build a mini-Lucknow in Metiabruz. That eventually became the base point for studying migration in the city and beyond, which have now been encapsulated in his latest exhibition Shahrashob.
When asked about the unique title he explains, “Shahrashob refers to poetic lamentations, mostly over socio-political shifts and the rapid changes that happened when huge populations within cities shifted. In the context of my exhibition, I refer to the migration and socio-political shifts that happened, from Delhi to Lucknow in the mid 18th century, Lucknow to Calcutta in the mid 19th century and then Calcutta to Bombay and Lucknow to Karachi and other cities post-partition”.
Extending over three floors, the exhibition focuses on people who probably migrated from or to the region. One interesting display in this context is the parallel video films of two paan –sellers in Lucknow and Calcutta who not only talk about their descent from Wajid Ali Shah but also stories of the people who visit them.
When asked about whether historical references or creative re-imagination was focused on, he states, “In cases where I find archival references or photographs or paintings, I use them. In cases when I absolutely don’t, I use imagination. But even in those cases, my works are rooted in archival cross references, with meanderings of creative imagination.”
Much of the basis of the exhibition also stems from his personal bonds with people. “It is through personal interactions and long term friendships with people like the late Dr. Ramesh Kumar Saini, the descendant of Wajid Ali Shah’s paanwala Motilal and Manzilat Fatima, the descendant of Wajid Ali Shah and Begum Hazrat Mahal, that I was able to listen to stories and understand the ethos of the liminality of migration that no history book could ever describe.” He also connects Abanindranath Tagore and Satyajit Ray through interesting and witty letters and wishes, to the display.
Talking about what migration means to him he says, “I got curious about my own family history and found they migrated from somewhere in Southern India. I too have barely lived in the city for longer than two/three months at a stretch. And it is this movement that informs my practice greatly. As an individual, the moving body almost becomes like a sponge absorbing these experiences.”
For 2026, he plans, “to turn my research into a book, exhibit works on Abanindranath Tagore and Chitpur and do something about Kumartuli coolio, my street art poster project which turns 10.”
Shahrashob is on display at Studio Bari till January 20, 2026
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