{"id":2087814,"date":"2026-08-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2087814"},"modified":"2026-08-11T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T21:00:00","slug":"radhika-chitalia-late-fathers-passport-transforms-into-a-memory-capsule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2087814","title":{"rendered":"Radhika Chitalia Late Father\u2019s Passport Transforms into a Memory Capsule"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content prose-colossal max-w-none\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default entry-header is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"colo-post-featured-image wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1916\" height=\"1380\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ganju-6.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"a passport spread illustrated with an image of a seated woman with a red bird on her lap and a sunflower with a face in the middle\" style=\"object-fit:cover\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">All images \u00a9 Radhika Ganju, shared with permission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0bc941e6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h1 class=\"alignfull wp-block-post-title\">Radhika Chitalia Late Father\u2019s Passport Transforms into a Memory Capsule<\/h1>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-meta is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-08-11T07:01:26-05:00\">August 11, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a class=\"category-art\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/art\/\" rel=\"tag\">Art<\/a><a class=\"category-illustration\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/illustration\/\" rel=\"tag\">Illustration<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/kmothes\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\">Kate Mothes<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-share-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<ul class=\"colossal-share-buttons\">\n<li class=\"colossal-share-button colossal-share-button--facebook\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F08%2Fradhika-chitalia-father-memory-passport-paintings%2F&amp;title=Radhika%20Chitalia%20Late%20Father%26%238217%3Bs%20Passport%20Transforms%20into%20a%20Memory%20Capsule\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label=\"Share on Facebook\" class=\"colossal-share-button__link\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"colossal-share-button__label\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Share<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"colossal-share-button colossal-share-button--pinterest\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F08%2Fradhika-chitalia-father-memory-passport-paintings%2F&amp;media=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F08%2Fganju-6-960x691.jpeg&amp;description=Radhika%20Chitalia%20Late%20Father%26%238217%3Bs%20Passport%20Transforms%20into%20a%20Memory%20Capsule\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label=\"Share to Pinterest\" class=\"colossal-share-button__link\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"colossal-share-button__label\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Pin<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"colossal-share-button colossal-share-button--email\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#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\" aria-label=\"Email this article\" class=\"colossal-share-button__link\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"colossal-share-button__label\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Email<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"colossal-share-button colossal-share-button--copy\">\n\t\t\t<button type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Copy article link\" class=\"colossal-share-button__link colossal-share-button__copy\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2026\/08\/radhika-chitalia-father-memory-passport-paintings\/\" data-label-default=\"Copy\" data-label-copied=\"Copied!\" data-aria-default=\"Copy article link\" data-aria-copied=\"Link copied to clipboard\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"colossal-share-button__label\" aria-live=\"polite\">Copy<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"colossal-share-button colossal-share-button--bookmark\">\n\t\t\t<button class=\"simplefavorite-button preset\" data-postid=\"476631\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"0\"><i class=\"sf-icon-bookmark\"><\/i>Bookmark<\/button>\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>For Copenhagen-based illustrator and designer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.handmadebyradhika.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Radhika Chitalia<\/a>, an interest in memories, psychology, and emotions drives a practice centered around connections. From imbuing product design with a bit of humanity to using natural pigments and motifs inspired by Indian folk traditions, she\u2019s drawn to the dynamics of community and relationships. One particular bond stands out in a recent personal project.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter my father passed away, his expired passport remained tucked away for years,\u201d the artist says. \u201cRather than throwing it away, I began painting every page with gouache\u2014working over visas, immigration stamps, and empty pages\u00a0as a way to not just cope with the grief but fill up the pages that he never got to fill.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ganju-8.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-476631\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1912\" height=\"1371\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ganju-8.jpeg\" alt=\"a passport spread illustrated with an image of insects\" class=\"wp-image-476648\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<p>Chitalia recalls that her father \u201cloved to travel and had planned to spend his retirement exploring the world with my mother, but passed away before he got the chance.\u201d  Still, he filled a lot of pages in his passport. And as adhered paper visas and inked stamps increasingly become a thing of the past, the document serves as both a personal time capsule and an artifact of the way we once traveled.<\/p>\n<p>The artist saw potential in its worn spreads and bureaucratic insertions for another story, one that could be layered vibrantly on top of the existing document to celebrate her father\u2019s life and adventures in a kind of posthumous father-daughter tribute. \u201cWhat started spontaneously became a way of exploring grief, memory, and the journeys that never happened,\u201d she says. \u201cThe passport became more than a surface\u2014it was an object already carrying his history, and the paintings slowly became a way of filling its pages with new stories.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chitalia has also been painting on other found documents that belonged to her father, and she often shares her progress on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/handmade.by.radhika\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a>. Find more of the artist\u2019s work on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.behance.net\/radhikachitalia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Behance<\/a>. You might also enjoy Pep Carrio\u2019s thousands of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2024\/04\/pep-carrio-datebook-drawings\/\">datebook drawings<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ganju-12.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-476631\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1928\" height=\"1386\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ganju-12.jpeg\" alt class=\"wp-image-476652\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ganju-11.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-476631\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1905\" height=\"1374\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ganju-11.jpeg\" alt=\"a passport spread illustrated with an image of a fig plant and fruit\" class=\"wp-image-476651\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ganju-10.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-476631\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1917\" height=\"1377\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ganju-10.jpeg\" alt=\"a passport spread illustrated with an image of a family and a woman half-submerged in a sea of red\" class=\"wp-image-476650\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ganju-7.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-476631\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1910\" height=\"1366\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ganju-7.jpeg\" alt=\"a passport spread illustrated with an image of two people seated around a small table and a redheaded woman&apos;s head\" class=\"wp-image-476647\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ganju-9.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-476631\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1915\" height=\"1375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ganju-9.jpeg\" alt=\"a passport spread illustrated with an image of playing card suits with faces and a couple standing in front of a visa sticker\" class=\"wp-image-476649\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ganju-5.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-476631\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1922\" height=\"1367\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ganju-5.jpeg\" alt=\"a passport spread illustrated with an image of a box of Crayola crayons and a flowering plant\" class=\"wp-image-476645\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ganju-3.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-476631\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1912\" height=\"1367\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ganju-3.jpeg\" alt=\"a passport spread illustrated with an image of a tropical plant and a man&apos;s face\" class=\"wp-image-476643\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ganju-2.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-476631\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1914\" height=\"1379\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ganju-2.jpeg\" alt=\"a passport spread illustrated with an image of a pink and purple moneky and flowers\" class=\"wp-image-476642\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ganju-4.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-476631\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1702\" height=\"1219\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ganju-4.jpeg\" alt=\"a passport spread illustrated with an image of a sun with a moustachioed face and a tree\" class=\"wp-image-476644\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ganju-1.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-476631\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1381\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ganju-1.jpeg\" alt=\"a passport spread illustrated with an image of the top of a man&apos;s face and a young girl holding a balloon shaped like a wide-eyed animal head\" class=\"wp-image-476641\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"after-entry\" role=\"complementary\" aria-label=\"After Entry\">\n<section id=\"block-16\" class=\"widget widget_block widget_text\">\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#88caf0\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><strong>Do stories and artists like this matter to you?<\/strong><\/mark> Become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/members\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"118516\">Colossal Member<\/a> now, and support independent arts publishing.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"block-17\" class=\"widget widget_block\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top member-benefits is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hide advertising<\/li>\n<li>Save your 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