Khirki - 2 by Riya Chandwani
This work depicts the windows of abandoned Sindhi homes, silent witnesses to Partition; bearing the absence of those who once stood behind them. Each architectural opening, carefully rendered in its distinct pattern, becomes more than a structure; it becomes a vessel of memory. Riya imagines these windows as keepers of the lives once lived around them - of glances exchanged, of voices that passed through, of the light and shadow of daily rhythms now lost.
The work asks: Can these openings, once meant to let light flow between inside and outside, also become portals through which people may someday return, physically or emotionally, to spaces they once called home?
To deepen this meditation, the work includes a line by Pakistani poet Shaikh Ayaz:
“Tiri Pawanda Tarien, Jadahein Garha Gul alomiya, Tadahein Mildaseen, Ho Tadahein Milandaseen.”
“We shall meet again, when red flowers bloom on the branches.”
This verse carries a profound longing. hope that reunion, though deferred, is not denied. The windows in the work echo this sentiment: they are not just about looking out or in, but about the yearning to reconnect with a lost homeland, a lost time, and the fragments of a shared history.
This artwork was exhibited at Method in the group exhibition "The Parliament is Now in Session" (August 2025)
| Size | 33" x 22" |
| Medium | Paper Burn and Gouache on Rice Paper |
| Edition Size | Unique |
| Year | 2025 |
| Certificate of Authenticity | Included |
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| Taxes | Included |
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Riya Chandwani
Riya Chandwaniis an artist based in Mumbai. She recently completed her Master’s degree program in painting from Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai. Riya was born on 10 March 1995 in Katni(Madhya Pradesh).
Her work focuses on displacement, longing, historical lineage, tradition, communal violence, and the ideas of femininity. It is about the transition from one time to another, one land to another. Through traditional idioms, she portrays the grim reality and violence of life.
Her practice encompasses drawing, painting, paper burn as well as installation through figurative works that explore issues of race, class and gender. She hopes to embody the stories of those that have been historically ignored, forgotten and marginalised .
Her practice deals with memories of the Partition carried across generations in her family, which is originally from Sindh (now in Pakistan). The memories and fears that have been brought to this place and time are visible in Sindhi culture today. This wound of migration that has led to generational trauma collides with gender as a social structure.
