The ocean connects us all. Our communities can be seen as waves, pushed by ‘storms’ far away to migrate as swells, and land on the shores of Aotearoa. Guy Howard-Smith’s father was born in India and is Anglo-Indian and his family came to Ponsonby in the late 1940s for new opportunities.

At the end of 2023 Howard-Smith travelled to Lucknow and Kolkata to take up a residency with the All-India Anglo-Indian Association. Whilst there, a chance encounter with the iconic Amar Chitra Katha historic comic series inspired Howard-Smith to replicate the spirit of one of these comics, focusing on the Eurasian community in India.

A rich food history, unique patois, and semi mythical origin stories of European ancestors are commonalities many Anglo-Indian families share. This exhibition aims to build on, and celebrate Anglo-Indian traditions, touching on ideas of nationhood and belonging which reach beyond the community.