For many years Perth-born artist Shanti Gelmi chose to deny the significance of her Indian heritage, a defensive response to the racism she encountered as a child. Recognising that her cultural heritage shaped her nonetheless, she now wonders what other unquestioned or unseen influences leave their stamp on us.
![Shanti Gelmi, Absent Presence, 2020, Photographed by Eva Fernandez A detail from Shanti Gelmi's 'Absent/Presence'. Two large rock like shapes sit on a hot pink background. They are black, and debased with a pink pattern comprised of chains of zig-zags, that appear to be knitted together. Out of the shadows](https://www.seesawmag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/fly-images/32443/Shanti-Gelmi-Absent-Presence-2020-Photographed-by-Eva-Fernandez-410x273-c.jpg)