As an immigrant, the feeling of loss and confusion of a new home becomes an eternal subject of interest. The notion of place and belonging are central to this. The work not only acts as a point of examination of loss of place and belonging – it also heals the wounds.
Rai’s practice focuses on the yearning and deconstructing of these ideas. The endeavour to feel a sense of belonging to a place. The strained relationship an immigrant develops with their mother country and the country they settle in. The act of becoming and belonging.
Moving image is his primary medium – with the desire to examine the British Asian images of representation. Rai’s primary fascination with moving image started as a way of questioning the image of representation for British Asian communities. The power of recording and editing as a form of rectifying popular modes of representation.