India, 1492, 2021-25
video installation, prints
Alternating between maps of India drawn by colonial authorities and medieval European maps that locate the Garden of Eden in India, this work traces the shifting shapes of South Asia in Western imperial and spiritual imaginaries. By bringing together these two seemingly opposed narratives, this work initiates questions on how the quest for paradise fuelled the colonial enterprise, and the central role it played in the colonization of the Americas.
The significance of these intertwined narratives is embedded in Columbus’ journey, when he set sail for India, unwittingly lost his way, and thought he had arrived at his intended destination when he arrived in the “New World.” The project includes the map thought to be used by Columbus on his journey to India, which ended in the Americas, and which drew much of its influence from the early maps which located Paradise in India.
The significance of these intertwined narratives is embedded in Columbus’ journey, when he set sail for India, unwittingly lost his way, and thought he had arrived at his intended destination when he arrived in the “New World.” The project includes the map thought to be used by Columbus on his journey to India, which ended in the Americas, and which drew much of its influence from the early maps which located Paradise in India.
video installation, 2025
12:40
12:40
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This project was supported by 421 Arts Campus, Abu Dhabi. Video produced by the Video Lab at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale Foundation. Photo documentation by Joseph Rahul and the KMB Photo team.
Series 1, 2021
8 risograph prints
8 risograph prints
Series 1, Map 5
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Series 1, Map 7
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Documentation images by Petrine, Paris.
Series 2, 2024-5
c-print
c-print
Series 2, Map 1