A Conversation with Devy Singh
There’s a certain kind of nostalgia that lives in fluorescent lighting and snack aisles.
Devy Singh is a storyteller dabbling in cinematography, videography, and photography. His work sits in that space where memory, culture, and the passage of time start overlapping. Where the mundane becomes loaded, fast.
For Flash. Issue 03 — a Project See & B × Jean Marie Film collaboration that gave twenty creatives second-hand film cameras and total freedom — Devy shot on a Pentax Z-20, turning the lens toward a place that’s been quietly shaping him for years: the Indian grocer.
His featured work, 3rd culture kid chronicles – the Indian grocer, captures the grocer not just as a shop, but as a symbol. A portal. A social hub. A cultural constant you don’t realise you’re attached to until you’re suddenly older, looking around, and wondering what stays.
As Devy writes in his artist statement:
“Among these recurring cultural references, one motif has remained particularly resonant for me: the Indian grocer… For many third-culture individuals, it embodies a space untouched by performativity — a site of quiet ritual, familiarity, and cultural continuity.”
Where did this project begin for you?
“This is an idea that kind of just sprung up on me when I visited the grocer to run an errand on behalf of mum.”
He’d been asked to pick up spices. He grabbed snacks for himself too — because obviously.
“In doing so, I walked past what appears to be a young couple doing their shopping rounds. It turns out I knew the couple, we grew up around similar circles.”
That’s when the thought hit. The one that feels small at first, then gets bigger the longer you hold it.
“I’m 29 so I’m in a pretty existential state as is, and naturally so, a question popped up — is this place always going to be a constant for me?”
Not in a dramatic way. More like… quietly. Like the realisation arrives mid-errand, between aisles, without warning.
“Will I still be visiting this place way later down the line; or is it just a place for me to collect comfort food, run errands and collect the odd ingredient for my own cooking?”
The question turned into thinking. Thinking turned into reminiscing. And eventually, it became the piece.
How did you approach making the work?
“I always wanted to express this idea but never could lock in a means to articulate it. Hearing about Project See & B and Issue 03 inspired me as I felt leveraging film was probably the best way to go about telling this story.”
What Devy was drawn to wasn’t just the end product. It was the process.
“I was more drawn towards the journey element of it — just the idea of getting together with friends I’ve grown up over the years at a location I spent the past decade and a half visiting, taking a leap of faith with the shots and not being able to see them until they have developed.”
In your late 20s, even the simplest plans start to feel rare. You’re busy. People move. Everyone’s doing life. So doing something as basic as going to the grocer together starts to feel… weirdly emotional.
“My friends and I are all in our late 20s now, so the process of actually going out to the grocer together, felt really endearing and for the lack of a better expression; a homage to our early 20s.”
The day became its own little ritual. A casual reunion disguised as an errand.
“We spent the day just reminiscing about our favourite snacks, complaining about the logo changes of the many beloved brands we consumed back in the day, and discussing how something as mundane as going to the grocer together is something we just took for granted back in the day.”
And then, like most good days, it ended up being about more than what was planned.
What were you hoping the work would hold?
Devy’s work circles around the specific emotional fog that comes with being a third culture kid — the feeling of existing between inherited identity and lived identity, and never fully landing in one place.
He describes what he’s drawn to as:
“The void of ambiguity that's embedded in our third culture, connection, elation, passage of time, youth, exploring cultures and communities that thrive on expression.”
In his artist statement, he frames the grocer as more than a recurring motif — it’s a symbol that keeps showing up across music, pop culture, and diasporic storytelling. A familiar set.
From Panjabi MC to Jay Sean, Das Racist to newer artists, the grocer keeps reappearing. Not because it’s aesthetic. Because it’s real.
“One of the first times I sensed the layered nature of my diasporic identity was when I stepped inside a Maharaj Stores for the first time as a 12-year old. I can’t say whether it was the overpowering aroma of jeera seeds, mothers instructing their adolescent kids to lift 9kg rice bags into trolleys, or the pirated copies of whatever Bollywood movie was screening at the time — but it felt like I stepped into a portal.”
How would you describe your practice?
“I like engaging in all forms of story telling — I’m a writer, have dabbled in cinematography, videography and photography (learning).”
What’s inspiring you creatively right now?
Right now, Devy’s inspiration is coming from people who refuse cynicism. People who stay curious. People who keep it playful, even when they’re smart.
“Honestly, I’ve been breathing in a lot of content from Conan O’Brien lately — podcasts, past interviews, shows, digital shorts, what have you. He’s touched so many lives with his positivity and age-old mission to end cynicism, it inspires me to think differently personally and creatively.”
“I’ve also been doing a bit of a deep dive on Steve Martin’s work.”
And then there’s the film era that always hits: late 90s / early 2000s.
“I’ve also just been obsessed with movies from early late 90s / early 2000s e.g. High Fidelity, Trainspotting, Bend it like Beckham along with a generous serving of Richard Linklater movies. There’s something about the expression of the cultural zeitgeist during that period that I find quite intriguing.”
What’s next?
“I’m working on a few projects, namely a picture book as well as a mini online interview-y style series called ‘Suika Chat’ with my good friend Mowgli!”
You can find more of his work at @itsjustdevy.
Flash. — Exhibition & Issue 03 Launch
Flash. Issue 03 One-week-only exhibition:
19 — 25 January 2026
10am to 4pm daily
Terrace Greenhouse Gallery
223 South Terrace, South Fremantle, WA
Free entry
Project See & B is dedicated to amplifying under-represented voices in the creative industry. Issue 03 was made possible thanks to the support of The Blackbird Foundation.
