Untitled (Diptych) by Riya Chandwani
As Riya continues her burn works - where paper bears the marks of time, memory, and erasure, she turns to the words spoken at the time of Partition. In this series, Riya inscribes Jinnah’s 11 August 1947 speech onto the surface of his body, and Nehru’s Tryst with Destiny speech onto his own, each rendered in indigo blue, a colour deeply tied to both pain and resilience in our history.
Their faces are covered in gold leaf, a deliberate gesture to both sanctify and obscure. In doing so, the work asks the viewer to look not at the men, but at the promises they made. What was said then? What remains today?
These works do not offer answers, but hold space for the question:
Are we truly free in this independent nation?
The burnt edges, fragile surfaces, and lingering words speak of both hope and haunting - of a past that still smoulders within us.
This diptych was exhibited at Method in the group exhibition "The Parliament is Now in Session" (August 2025)
| Size | 36" x 60" Each |
| Medium |
Paper Burn on Gateway Sheet, Charcoal, Pencil, Graphite, Gold Leaf |
| 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.
