Contact Abhi Chinniah
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Abhi Chinniah is a self-taught fine art and documentary photographer whose work explores the nuances of migration and shifting cultural identities among migrant, immigrant, and refugee communities.
Born in Ōtautahi Christchurch to Sri Lankan Tamil Malaysian parents, Abhi grew up on Malaysia's East Coast before settling in Auckland, New Zealand.
Her internationally recognised, ongoing photo essays, Light Skin Dark Skin and Melanin Rising, examine colourism and the portrayal of dark-skinned identities in mainstream media. Her subsequent series, A Migrant's Path, documented the generational impact of migration on minority communities within the Asian and African diasporas in Aotearoa.
Abhi's work serves as a visual archive of overlooked histories, engaging with themes of postcolonial displacement and cultural inheritance. Through mixed-media techniques, she questions what is preserved, adapted, or lost across generations.
In 2022, Light Skin Dark Skin and A Migrant's Path were acquired by the National Library of New Zealand, where they now reside in its permanent archives. In late 2024, her collection was presented in a solo exhibition at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery.
Abhi divides her time between Malaysia and New Zealand.
Solo Exhibitions
2024 – New Zealand Portrait Gallery
2023 – Te Atamira, Queenstown
2023 – Franklin Arts Centre
2023 – The University of Auckland
2021 – Depot Artspace
Group Exhibitions
2023 – A Place to Call Home: Contemporary Asian Art in New Zealand, Bergman Gallery
2022 – Kuala Lumpur International Photo Awards, Finalist Exhibition, Temu House, Kuala Lumpur
Grants & Awards
2024 – International Panellist, The Tamil Academic Journal
2023 & 2024 – Asian Artist Fund, Foundation North, Funding Assessor, Panel Member & Advisor
2022 – Kuala Lumpur International Photo Awards, Finalist
2022 – Asian Artist Fund, Foundation North, Grant Recipient
2022 – Auckland Tamil Association, Excellence Achievement Award
2021 & 2023 – Ministry for Ethnic Communities Grant Recipient
2021 – Auckland Photo Day Judge, Auckland Festival of Photography
2019 – Finalist, Trustpower Photographic Exhibition, Tauranga
Collections & Acquisitions
2022 - National Library of New Zealand, Light Skin Dark Skin & A Migrant’s Path