featuring artwork by:
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current project: OTHER IMAGININGS 2013-2015
OTHER IMAGININGS is curated by Aaron Sinift with Kahkashan Khan and Jitendra Kumar, in cooperation with the Sri Gandhi Ashram and various ashrams in Uttar Pradesh, India. The book begins with artworks produced by Gandhi ashrams for a village audience, a form of Pop Art for a counter-industrial culture. The project explores universal aspects of Gandhian visual culture in discourse with contemporary international artists and new ashram artist commissions. The book itself is printed onto home-spun khadi of the type Gandhi wore, so that the means and content are united in its form.
The starting point is Gandhi’s vision of a pastoralist India, and the ashrams he established to provide self-sufficiency through spinning and weaving homespun cotton ‘khadi’ cloth. These khadi ashrams continue this tradition of service into the present, employing approximately 10 million people throughout India. These workers are primarily women who are often sole support for their families.
Time is a major factor in the book, requiring more than 3 years of work to produce. Each thread is spun by hand, requiring concentration and thousands of hours of work. Color separations and silkscreen images were mostly traced by hand (not photo-transferred), all woodblocks were cut and printed by hand. There are almost no mechanical processes used to produce this book. Working with Gandhi ashrams we’ve created a truly contemporary swadeshi artwork.
Profits from sales of the book will be shared among producers in India, 5YearPlan.org, and Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
OTHER IMAGININGS would not be possible without the cooperation of Artists, Gandhian activists, and generous Patrons. |
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Each book is approx. 40 pages,16 x 14 inches; woodblock and silkscreen-printed by Sri Gandhi Ashram, Akbarpur ; The Chinmoyee Kala Niketan, Varanasi ; and Rudraksh in Jaipur. The cover was handwoven in Varanasi, and an artwork by Jenny Holzer was handwoven in Orissa made of organic cotton. Edition of 100
VIDEO LINK: SRI GANDHI ASHRAM Printing OTHER IMAGININGS (Akbarpur, UP) |
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Pre-publication price is $500 for individuals / $750. for institutions.
Advance purchasers will be thanked by name within the book.
Special Exhibition edition includes book, plus a second complete set of original page prints archival mounted for installation, with digital archive of all project support material, images & video. $2500. |
PROJECT TEAM:
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- Aaron Sinift, Maplewood, NJ, USA aasinift@hotmail.com
artist; founder & curator of 5 Year Plan; at home father
- Kahkashan Khan, Tana Bana; Varanasi, U.P. India kdollykhan@gmail.com
works for World Literacy of Canada (WLC); founder of Tana Bana India 2009; Gandhian Institute, Varanasi UP. and a mother.
- Jitendra Kumar, Tana Bana; Varanasi, U.P. India jitendrakumar1215@gmail.com
works for Tana Bana; formerly of World Literacy of Canada (WLC); Gandhian Institute, Varanasi UP. and at home father
- Nandita Devraj, Rudraksh, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India nandita.devraj@gmail.com
Rudraksh Printers; 91 Degree (furniture design studio); Canine Bhodhisatva
- Mr. Vijay Kumar Handa, Gandhi Hindustani Sahitya Sabbha, New Delhi, India vk2handa@yahoo.in
Educator at Gandhi HIndustani Sahitya Sabbha, New Delhi ; Mentor to 5 Year Plan.org
- Steven Warner, Iowa City, Iowa, USA estebandraws@me.com
web designer; gardener; chocolatier; creative ally
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PRODUCTION PARTNERS:
- TANA BANA, Varanasi, UP. India (PRODUCTION LOGISTICS, RESEARCH, COVER WEAVING) https://www.facebook.com/Thenationprideofindia?fref=ts
- SRI GANDHI ASHRAM; Akbarpur, U.P. India (PRINTERS)
- SRI GANDHI ASHRAM; Sarnath, UP. India (KHADI)
- CHINMOYEE KALA NIKETAN, Varanasi, UP India (WOODBLOCK PRINTERS) https://www.facebook.com/CKNINDIA?fref=ts
- RUDRAKSH, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India (PRINTERS & BOOK FABRICATION) nandita.devraj@gmail.com
- MANAV SEVA SANNIDHI; Modinagar U.P. India (KHADI) adityakumar09@yahoo.com
- KALA AR KATHA, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India (HOLZER WEAVING) http://www.kalaaurkatha.com/
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SPECIAL THANKS TO:
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