L: Pivot, photographed by Nishanth R
R: Lesley Lokko_Photo Andrea Avezzu_Courtesy La Biennale di Venezia
And just like that, we are back with our first issue of the year. In this Bookazine, we celebrate the ‘Ferryman between the past and future’ — artist, designer and creator, Sabyasachi Mukherjee. He has just launched his most ambitious project, a flagship store, housing all his creations under one roof. He shares how his reality reflects in his work and how his creations continue to stay rooted in heritage and culture. Architect and artist, Martand Khosla, puts on his writer’s cap and interviews Lesley Lokko, the curator of The Venice Architectural Biennale 2023. In an exhaustive conversation, we are not enlight- ened about only the curatorial process behind the Biennale but also how race, gender and various other inequalities continue to drive the discourse in many forums. Booker Prize winner Shehan Karunatilaka shares his earliest memory of writing, how it became his profession and how Sri Lankan absurdity inspires him.
Out with her latest collection of poetry, Tomorrow Someone Will Arrest You, Meena Kandasamy talks about the power of poetry and how themes such as women, violence, caste annihilation, Tamil and identity are close to her and her writing. Writer and Head of Curatorial at The Design Museum, London, Priya Khanchandani takes us through her curatorial process behind The Offbeat Sari exhibition. Her collaboration with Rashmi Varma shows ninety saris through the years. Only two years old, A Suitable Agency, founded by literary agent Hemali Sodhi, who believes a good book is all about good storytelling, already has a great repertoire of authors and stories under her belt.
We also have designer Rahul Mishra, who invites us in to his atelier and emphasises on the importance of finding solutions through design. A label that has shown multiple times on Indian and International runways, his honest and earnest approach has provided livelihood and purpose for his community and all involved in creating the Rahul Mishra brand. In 3 Minutes, actor Suraj Sharma lets us in on the lesser known side of his persona. And we shine the spotlight on an exciting, inspirational and eclectic bunch of artists from various fields, who tell us their story and what gets their creative juices flowing, in What’s Your Story? Of course, no issue is complete without presenting a host of debutants and emerging talent, all ready to share their artistry and creativity, be it through their music, film, design or book. And last, but not the least, designer Arjun Saluja plays guest stylist for our fashion story, where he merges vintage pieces of select designers and pairs them with street wear, creating Pivot.
Hope the read intrigues, engages, inspires and entertains you. Have you grabbed your copy yet? Available on stands and via our website. Grab your copy here now.
Words Shruti Kapur Malhotra
Date 05-06-2023