Ideas of Home — Real and Imagined

Tenzing Dakpa (Photographer), Anita Khemka (Head of Projects, PhotoSouthAsia) and Imran Kokiloo (Photographer) in conversation with Suryanandini Narain (Assistant Professor in Visual Studies at the School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University) ABSENT ARCHIVES: Photography and Methodologies of the Unseen, a platform and network that engages with postcolonial and decolonial questions — asking how knowledge has been structured, who gets to author history, and what it means to reclaim narratives through acts of archival reconstruction. The initiative encourages practitioners to think beyond institutional archives and towards embodied, vernacular, and community-based memory practices that resist dominant histories while generating new frameworks for seeing and remembering. Envisioned by Alakananda Nag, Founder Archival Matter & Absent Archives. The maiden symposium, focused on photography was held in Goa in March 2026 Event Sponsor: PHOTOSOUTHASIA (@photosouthasia) PhotoSouthAsia focuses on fostering the regional photography community through workshops, grants and symposia. By bringing together educators, curators, and other practitioners from the region and around the world, it creates opportunities to exchange ideas, build meaningful connections and expand possibilities through new introduction and broader exposure. PhotoSouthAsia brings South Asian practitioners together with publishers, educators, and curators from around the world to exchange ideas, build connections & expand opportunities. Venue host: Goa – ARTHSHILA, a multi-arts centre, an initiative of the Takshila Educational Society, is a multidisciplinary arts platform. Located in Nachinola, Arthshila Goa is a multi-arts centre designed to facilitate artistic expressions and curate creative experiences. The centre houses an amphitheatre, exhibition spaces, workshop spaces, and a reading room. With regular programmes across visual arts, theatre, music, dance, literature, and film, the centre offers a diverse and inspirational range of experiences and interactions. Arthshila has centres in Ahmedabad, Santiniketan, Goa, New Delhi, Kochi and Patna. Event Curated by: HOME | Archival Matter Video production by: Sweet Monkey Concepts