Updated July 6th, 2026 — Annu Palakunnathu Matthew (CRF 2021) returns to Italy for UNREMEMBERED: Indian soldiers of World War II – The Italian Campaign, opening on July, 11th, 2026 at 5 PM at Chiesa di San Francesco in Montone. The solo exhibition continues the work she exhibited in Storie Nascoste, Hidden Histories, which opened last August in Tagliacozzo showcasing the stories of Indian soldiers during World War II who helped liberate Montone from the Germans in 1944. The series is composed of photographs created from projections of family photographs Annu collected from descendants of the soldiers and the Italians that sheltered them, onto streets, buildings, and doorways where the history unfolded.
The upcoming exhibition continues her decade-long research titled The UNREMEMBERED, spotlighting the Indian soldiers’ forgotten narratives from World War II that have been displayed globally. She began her work during her sabbatical and Fulbright Fellowship in 2016. This show is one of two exhibitions that Annu will have in Montone over the next two summers. In 2027, the town plans to showcase newly commissioned work as a public arts exhibition conceived as a multi-site installation spanning public and civic spaces—including a deconsecrated church and outdoor areas within the town. It will focus on the role of Indian soldiers in liberating the town and the surrounding area during the war, transforming the town into an immersive environment for collective remembrance and the enduring legacies of colonial entanglement.
Annu says she hopes the exhibition will help the public look beyond skin color and ethnicity, and look at the humanity within fellow human beings to break down barriers.
Annu’s last solo exhibition, Storie Nascoste (Hidden Stories), opened August 3rd and ran through September 21st in Tagliacozzo, Italy, part of her SHELTERED series. Annu was in attendance for the opening celebration on the 3rd.
Learn more at www.annumatthew.com.
Installation images by Emanuele Nuccilli. Opening night photos by Roberto Cipollone.