ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Artist Vashish Soobah Explores Diaspora Through Family and Spiritual Practices

artist · 2026-03-21

An interview with artist Vashish Soobah discusses his work exploring Mauritian diaspora and personal history. Soobah's practice incorporates video, photography, and installation to examine migration patterns connecting Mauritius, Sicily, Milan, and London. His 2021 piece 'All of her Oceans' documents his mother recreating ocean sounds in Brianza, Italy. The artist describes his mother as a spiritual portal connecting him to ancestral roots. Works like 'Aum Avec La Famille Dans Lakaz' (2019) and 'Mandir Capitolo II' (2022) explore themes of home, colonial history through sugarcane symbolism, and cultural hybridity. Soobah's site-specific installation 'Chez moi' was created for Platea, transforming clouds into representations of Mauritius and Italy.

Key facts

  • Vashish Soobah is an artist exploring Mauritian diaspora through personal and family narratives
  • His work 'All of her Oceans' (2021) documents his mother recreating ocean sounds in Brianza, Italy
  • Soobah studied at Goldsmith University where he developed his documentary approach
  • The artist's practice examines migration between Mauritius, Sicily, Milan, and London
  • His installation 'Chez moi' was created for Platea, involving a neighboring bar space

Entities

Artists

  • Vashish Soobah

Institutions

  • Goldsmith University
  • Platea

Locations

  • Mauritius
  • Madagascar
  • Catania
  • Sicily
  • Brianza
  • Milano
  • London
  • England
  • Italy

Sources