Philadelphia artist Arnab Gan Choudhury creates work that explores themes of memory, identity, and invention. Born and raised in Kolkata, India, Arnab relocated to the United States in 2018. During his early years in America, he eagerly awaited his summer visits home. However, with each passing season, the excitement waned and his city of origin gradually began to feel different than the place he yearned to return.

Arnab’s understanding of “home” has evolved into one which is now permanently framed with quotation marks. Although he still travels to Kolkata, it is no longer just a geographical location, but a site rooted in nostalgia. It contains echoes of his past life filtered through time and migration. He states, “In my absence, it has changed, it has moved on and has now become a place I do not recognize... So how does one go back to a “home” that no longer exists? Through unconventional means, of course! Desperation often provides hope in the most absurd, impractical things, driven by the singular question – What if?”

For his exhibition at Philadelphia International Airport, Arnab presents fantastical sculptures that express his fervent wish to somehow transport himself back “home”. These assemblages are not presented as feasible means of transportation, but rather as playful propositions. Comprised of scavenged materials, these artworks are adorned with visual influences from his childhood in Kolkata which left indelible impressions on his consciousness. Street signs and symbols, elaborate diagrams from school textbooks, rickshaws, and cartoon imagery all combine to form contraptions that are whimsical yet also tinged with melancholy and longing.

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