Mahtab Hussain, Mitti Ka Ghar, 2019, installation view, The New Art Gallery Walsall,
Photo: Mark HintonMitti Ka Ghar means “house made of earth” in Urdu.
The house has been built by artist Mahtab Hussain with the help of local people. It is based on traditional Kashmiri mud houses, still found in parts of the region. The house is made from straw, timber and clay.
Mitti Ka Ghar
Until 31 March 2019
In September 2016, Mahtab Hussain travelled to Kashmir; to the place where his parents had once called home. He was able to meet members of his family for the first time, including his great grandmother, and to witness the kind of life he may have lived, had history taken a different turn.
Inspired by traditional Kashmiri mud houses that can still be found in parts of the region, the artist is working with local communities to construct, furnish and decorate a house within the gallery and to explore ideas of home. Over the coming months, visitors can watch the house develop.
Film: Mark Hinton
