
Textiles as Monument
Description
What constitutes a monument, and who is memorialized? Three contemporary artists of South Asian descent--Suchitra Mattai, Jagdeep Raina, and Swapnaa Tamhane--transform textiles of their cultural heritage into memorials for those who have been unrecognized in public displays of historical memory. These artworks question why monuments are made and who is given the power to be remembered. The project centers new commissions by the featured artists made in collaboration with, for, and about the communities that have been rendered invisible by the biases of history-making. The creations function as "counter-monuments," honoring and embodying the presence of those who have not received adequate recognition.
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Persons
Syona Puliady is curator of textiles of the Eastern Hemisphere for the Fowler Museum at UCLA and coauthor of Visualizing Devotion: Jain Embroidered Shrine Hangings. She studies textiles of the Indian Ocean realm and how they create notions of intimacy, sensuality, and spirituality, contributing to the region's cultural ethos. Contributors: Suchitra Mattai, Jagdeep Raina, and Swapnaa Tamhane