About The Book
Acts of Appearance assumed its form within a village of Adivasi papier-mâché artists from the Kokna and Warli tribes in Palghar district. Further inland from Dahanu, it is one of the most impoverished districts in Maharashtra, India. Gill’s collaborator-subjects are renowned for their papier-mâché objects, including traditional sacred masks made for the yearly Bohada procession. In these pictures the artists as well as other local volunteers engage in everyday village activities while wearing new masks, made by them expressly for this body of work beginning in 2015. The new creations depict living beings with the physical characteristics of ordinary humans, commonplace animals, or valued objects. A range of scenarios and narratives, situated in both “reality” and dreamlike states, come together in the photographs, which simultaneously portray symbolic or playful representations as well as the familiar experiences of community members against the backdrop of their home and culture. Publisher’s Info
About The Artist
Gauri Gill (b. 1970, Chandigarh, India) is a photographer based in New Delhi. Several ongoing projects document her ever-maintained belief in collective work, “active listening,” in photography as memory work. Gill’s work deals Indian identity markers such as caste, class, and community with a direct impact on mobility and social behavior. Her work expresses empathy, wonder, and a great understanding of survival strategies. Gill has exhibited both in India and abroad: at the 58th Venice Biennale, MoMA PS1, New York, Documenta 14 in Athens and Kassel, at the 2016 Kochi Biennale, and at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Her work is included in the collections of internationally renowned institutions, and in 2011 she was awarded the Grange Award, Canada’s premier photography prize.
Exhibition: Gauri Gill: Acts of Resistance and Repair at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk (January 26, 2023 – April 10, 2023)
Video: Gauri Gill – Acts of Resistance and Repair | SCHIRN INTERVIEW by SCHIRN KUNSTHALLE FRANKFURT (Youtube)
About The Publisher
Starting in 1986, Edition Patrick Frey has published more than 300 books until today. Collaborating closely with mainly Swiss but also international artists, the publishing house focuses on unique projects and produces books in small print runs. The purpose of Edition Patrick Frey is to provide particularly young artists an opportunity and a platform with a first publication, but the publishing house has also been engaged in long-term collaborations with several artists such as Walter Pfeiffer, Karen Kilimnik, Anne-Lise Coste, Peter Fischli & David Weiss, and Andreas Züst.
