What happens when a personal artefact becomes a museum object? This conversation between Rama Laxmi, curator of Remember Bhopal Museum, Muzzamil Hussain, a researcher at Kargil Museum, and artist Shubigi Rao, will address this question. The panel will be moderated by Latika Gupta, Associate Editor at Marg Publications.

Rama Lakshmi is a journalist, museologist and an oral historian. She has previously worked with the Smithsonian Institution and the Missouri History Museum. Laxmi started the Remember Bhopal Museum or Yaad-e-Hadsa, a museum in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh that commemorates the Bhopal Gas Disaster. It collects and exhibits artefacts and records of the affected communities. The museum was opened on 2 December 2014, marking the 30th anniversary of the disaster.

Muzammil Hussain is a researcher at the Kargil Museum, which was set up to preserve the heritage of Kargil and record its importance during the Silk Route era. He is also President of Roots Collective and Co-Founder of Roots Ladakh, both of which are initiatives rooted in the social, cultural and ecological heritage of Ladakh.

Shubigi Rao is a visual artist and writer whose interests include archaeology, language and cultural history. Her work involves layered installations comprising drawings, archival material, photography, and film. She has been selected for residency programmes in Singapore, Germany and India, and was also included in the 2018 Kochi-Muziris Biennale, 2016 Taipei Biennale, 2017 Pune Biennale and the 2008 Singapore Biennale. Rao holds a Masters in Fine Arts from LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore.

Latika Gupta is an art historian, independent curator and associate editor at Marg publications. She has received fellowships from the Charles Wallace India Trust and the Nehru Trust for independent research projects on Buddhist art and performative rituals, as well as a museum fellowship from IFA and INLAKS. Gupta previously served as a curator at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) and at KHOJ International Artists’ Association in New Delhi. She has also worked on documentary films and photography projects that extensively trace the history of Indian art.