SEHAJ MALIK
ART
Topographies is a project that aims to present South Asian culture beyond reductive narratives. It explores how human conduct in South Asia is shaped by factors in the private, public, emotional and spatial realms by combining contemporary art from the region with its culinary practices.
For Sehaj Malik, we have chosen dishes whose ingredients and processes reflect her roots in industrialised Delhi, a context that continues to inform the themes running through her practice such as mechanical movement, repeated action, physical effort, and material transformation over time.
FOOD
Khichdi Choux
Activated charcoal choux, Lentil porridge, Pickle yoghurt, Yoghurt crisps
Khichdi reflects the artwork’s themes of pressure and transformation: lentils and rice soften and change form under pressure, becoming a dish traditionally turned to for comfort and nourishment when one is unwell. As an affordable everyday source of protein in Delhi, lentils also speak to resilience — where the external act of eating for comfort leads to an internal process of recovery and renewal.
Daulat ki Chaat Entremet
Saffron milk foam, Mawa caramel, Almond crumble
The repeated whipping of milk to draw air into it alludes to an external action reshaping the internal structure of the object it interacts with, until it becomes almost weightless. This reflects the artwork’s themes of motion and repetition. Mawa (evaporated milk solids), a staple of sweets across Delhi and its surrounding regions, brings a rich, caramelised flavour and subtle graininess that recalls the tactile texture of charcoal.
