The exhibition is produced by Bildmuseet. It extends beyond the gallery space to the Umeå University Library’s branch on floor 0.
Destruction of books, assaults on libraries, erasure of women’s voices, and loss of languages – in Shubigi Rao's exhibition we encounter histories of cultural destruction and resistance that has emerged in its wake. Through film, annotated photographs, books and drawings, the artist takes us to libraries, archives, and private collections in places scarred by conflict, from Sarajevo to Manila. Rao’s work is informed by interviews with librarians, scholars, and activists who hide banned books, rescue water-damaged collections, publish forbidden manuscripts, and construct networks for sharing knowledge.
Shubigi Rao (b. 1975, Mumbai) is an artist, writer, and filmmaker based in Singapore, which she represented at the Venice Biennale in 2022. This is her first solo exhibition in Sweden and her most extensive presentation in Europe to date.
The exhibition is produced by Bildmuseet. It extends beyond the gallery space to the Umeå University Library’s branch on floor 0.