Shiraz Bayjoo’s practice traverses installation, photography, painting, video, text and performance to elucidate forgotten histories that contain multiple layers of meaning and visual culture. Mainly working with repurposed archival displays, his works subvert western historical narratives that have defined—and oppressed—the psyches of colonised peoples to overturn tired orientalist tropes. Currently his work focuses on unearthing the history of the Indian Ocean, especially its island archipelagos such as Mauritius and Madagascar, moving away from the often academic and museological interpretations to contextualise its history through experimental and decolonial lenses.
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