London-based artist Irum Rahat presents her first solo exhibition in India, 'Yeh Kab Ki Baat Hai', at Pristine Contemporary in Delhi. The show features 16 new works that draw from her upbringing in a South Asian household, transforming mundane domestic scenes—making chai, sitting in rooms, family interactions—into a visual archive of memory and intimacy. Rahat's paintings, influenced by cinema and her own photography, use soft, hazy colors to evoke nostalgia and the ambiguity of time.
This exhibition matters because it challenges traditional hierarchies of what is considered worthy of artistic representation, centering the often-invisible labor and presence of women in domestic spaces. By portraying women realistically—simply existing without performance or spectacle—Rahat reframes everyday acts as meaningful and worthy of attention. The show also highlights the growing visibility of South Asian diaspora artists in India's contemporary art scene, bridging personal memory with broader cultural commentary.