Anita Chhiba, Boss Spotlight the Work of 13 South Asian Artists During Frieze Week

LONDON — Art is in the air in London as Frieze kicks off.

Anita Chhiba, founder of Diet Paratha, the Instagram account that celebrates South Asian identity, has teamed with Boss to host a one-off exhibit showcasing the work of 13 artists from the diaspora at the brand’s flagship store on Regent Street.

Chhiba handpicked the artists, who include Farheen Fatima; Anika Leila; Fourth St. Home; Unza Saleem; Abid Javed; Jemisha Maadhavji; Furmaan Ahmed; Puer Deorum; Waldia & Co.; Howareyoufeeling.studio; Shyama Golden; Navinder Nangla, and Firpal.

The collaboration came together organically when the head of public relations at Boss, also of South Asian descent, attended an event that Chhiba had hosted at Soho House in Mumbai, where the two women connected.

“At the beginning of my career, when Diet Paratha was taking off, it was only South Asian people that were writing about me. Representation is really important because it has to start from the inside out and only meaningful change can be made from the inside out. I always understood that to be true, but when it started to really impact me, that’s when I was like, ‘We are actually just so much stronger together,’” Chhiba said in an interview.

“We wanted to really honor the South Asian creative community and what better way to do it than Frieze, it’s such a prestigious art fair,” she added.

The main floor of the Boss store is showcasing digital artwork, paintings, photographs and installations that can be purchased, with the profits going directly to the artists without anybody taking a cut.

Chhiba worked with the brand to ensure all the vendors on the opening party Thursday night were from creative South Asian communities that spotlight the culture, from catering from the restaurant Bubala, and event photographer to the DJ set, which Harveen Rai, otherwise known as Vnee, played.

Nangla, the artist behind the “Fashion Is My Pashion” graffiti artwork, displayed his visual art that steers away from what he’s known for.

Ahmed, a set designer and sculpturist that Chhiba frequently works with, has made candle sticks for the exhibition that she describes as “weird and wonderful.”

Digital artist Firpal’s colorfully psychedelic work is also on display. The artist recently collaborated with Skims on a limited-edition summer capsule featuring their work.

Chhiba is just as much a collector of the art she’s supporting. In her living room, a golden egg from Rukaiya Daud, the artist behind Fourth St. Home, takes center stage.

Daud is exhibiting her limestone, brass and steel eggs, which are currently stocked on Net-a-porter.

Another artist on display inside Chhiba’s home is Maadhavji, whose portraits of a NHS worker landed her a spot on BBC One’s “Extraordinary Portraits.”

“The older I get the more in touch with my identity I become and that’s why I started Diet Paratha, but I also love consuming South Asian art and stories. I am the customer,” said Chhiba, explaining that she feels positively about the efforts that the creative South Asian communities are making in getting their voices heard and are finally being taken seriously.

“I hope it allows, not only the South Asians access to this, but others to see art by South Asian artists,” she added.

The overarching theme of the exhibition for Chhiba is to invoke joy.

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