In 2021 Areez Katki presented a body of work at Tarq Gallery in Mumbai titled Bildungsroman (& Other Stories). Borrowing the German loanword for the coming-of-age novel, Katki’s works in traditional needlecraft reflected on the time he spent in Mumbai between 2018 and 2021. How patterns of migrancy alter, or queer, narratives of self and cultural formation is an important question in Katki’s practice. As is how objects and creative practices help us to find our way within these complex, global networks.

Heading to Berlin in November next year as the recipient of the Creative New Zealand Berlin Visual Arts Residency (back from hiatus after Covid-related disruptions), Katki is looking to the next instalment of his work: his Künstlerroman, or artist’s novel, as he is tentatively calling the project. During the residency, he will develop and publish an experimental artist’s novel, alongside a multimedia presentation intended to tour Germany, India and Aotearoa.