Moakshaa Vohra
“An Exercise in Remembering”
2023
15 paper cards, 5x3 inches each
Artwork Description
At family gatherings, there always seemed to be that one relative who insisted on playing the memory game. With a devious grin and an air of enthusiasm, they would approach you "Guess who I am?" And there you would be, standing awkwardly, chuckling nervously, and glaring at your mother, signaling for help. You're sweating now, trying to recall every single relative you've ever met in your life, but your mind is blank. No, you don't remember, and you're starting to wonder if this person is even related to you. Relishing in your discomfort, with the sense of victory, they announce their title as if this information is supposed to mean something to you. And then, they would remind you of the last time you met them - "You were this small," they say, holding their hand up to their knee, to emphasize how much time has passed and yet, they still ask if we remember them.“An Exercise in Remembering” is an attempt to understand this challenge of remembering By collecting physical descriptions of the same person from family members, this project documents the act of simultaneous remembering and forgetting that characterizes the human experience of memory.
Artist Bio
Moakshaa Vohra is an arts administrator. She has been involved in the planning, managing, and execution of multiple curatorial projects focusing on lens-based media in South Asia. She graduated from Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design, and Technology, Bengaluru in 2016 with a Bachelor's in Contemporary Art Practice with a minor in Film. Her interest areas are cinema studies and intermedia practices. Currently, she is based in Chicago and is a graduate student in the Arts Administration and Policy program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
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