INDIAN ARTIST - handmade paper as an
artistic means of expression
Visiting the Kochi Muziris Biennale and
the Delhi Art Fair 2018-19 I noticed a growing interest in using handmade paper
as an artistic means of expression among the exhibiting Indian artists.. Here
I’m not talking about artists buying handmade paper to draw and paint on, but
artists who use pulp, their own produced paper or manipulate pulp and paper in
untraditional ways as an artistic statement.
Since 2000 I have returned to India each
year, focusing on and following the development of its contemporary art scene
as well as tried to locate the remnants of the old papermaking tradition in
India during extensive travels.
In an attempt to get an insight in the
development of handmade paper as an artistic means of expression in India, a
questionnaire was sent with to the following artists:
Anupam Chakraborty, Jenny Pintu, Kulu Ojha, Neeta Premchand, Radha
Panday, Ravikumar Kashi, Shantamani Muddaiah and Sudipta Das.
The following is answers by the questioned artists to 13 questions:
1: Where and from whom did you
learn to make paper?
When I compare the answers to question 1 the majority of the questioned
artists have learnt papermaking abroad: three from Jacki Parry at Glasgow
School of Art, an Australian born artist, printmaker, papermaker, former
lecturer at the Glasgow School of Art and a founding member of the Glasgow
Print Studio and the Paper Workshop, two in Korea by Chang Son and Seong
Woo and also Puli Paper Mill in Taiwan, one at the Paper Institute in Kochi,
Japan, from Hamada San, and one in USA by Catherine Nash and Timothy Barrett.
One is self-taught and has taken a workshop at Kumarappa Handmade Paper Inst.,
Sanganer, Jaipur.
2: Why did you choose to work with paper – what
is it you find interesting about paper?
Sudipta
Das answers: My encounter with the
contextualised use of paper as a medium for my work started as a solution to
the technical difficulty I was facing during my education in Santiniketan. As I
started working with memories, personal histories and the layered presence of
history in our identity, I was collecting historical evidence and other
documents which have carried history through photography. It is from this
desire to use those photographic images
that I started working with paper. Soon I found that paper is one of the best
mediums for my expression as its fragility and its ability to absorb tints of
colours can be contextualised with the histories of fragmentation and the
layers of memory that I worked with. It is from this aspect that paper becomes
an important way for me to express and contextualise my personal histories of
migration and the anxieties of being an immigrant.
Anupam
Chakraborty, who has chosen to place paper in the centre of his artistic praxis
since 20 years cannot think of any other medium that can be equally
fascinating. He states: only those who
have made paper themselves can get the experience of the versatility of
papermaking. Ravikumar Kashi points out the tactile quality, the
malleability and organic nature with a long and ancient history, connected to
knowledge/books. He finds it a challenge to lift handmade paper out of its
stigma as belonging to craft. All the questioned artists find that pulp and
paper contain tactility, texture - ality, fragility, two - and three
dimensional possibilities and that the more you experiment with it the more
doors will open for manipulation.
3: Do you consider yourself a hand papermaker or a
paper artist, and do you feel there is a difference?
There is a widespread
agreement among the interviewed artists that there is a difference between a
hand papermaker and a paper artist.
None of them consider
themselves hand papermakers. Radha states: hand papermakers work with qualities
of the sheet that make it suitable for specific works. Jenny considers herself
a paper artist and that the difference is in vision, interpretation and output;
she says that one has to understand the material. Ravikumar considers himself a
paper artist, but he does not want to be labelled as one, as he also uses other
materials. He says that a hand papermaker makes paper for its own sake. Anupam
considers himself a paper artist and that refers to a creative individual,
involved with handmade paper as a means of artistic expression. Kulu says that
technically he might be a considered a paper artist; his actions are solutions
to a number of environmental issues. Shantamani is a sculptor and installation
artist, who explores fibres and pulp for architectural and sculptural forms,
and she states the same as Kulu that her actions are solutions to a number of environmental issues. Sudipta will rather
call herself a visual artist, but do not oppose to anyone calling her paper
artist, as she primarily work with paper. She writes that categorisation just
on the basis of mediums are shallow and constricting without the understanding
of how paper or papermaking becomes a medium of expression.
Jenny is right, that the more one knows one’s material the
choice of artistic output grows and becomes richer. It means a lot to commit
oneself to work professionally with paper and it will, if you give in to this
medium, absorb you profoundly as one will discover that it contains everything
and can be everything. As Kulu says: the
language of paper surpasses the language of man.
Concerning categorization: society loves categorizations to
get things under control. The importance here is that an artist is proud of her
or his professional choice. I find a slight hesitation in the answers among the
questioned artists towards being labelled and I think it is due to the
ingrained Indian perception of craft versus art issue, which we will touch upon
in the following. Neeta has an interesting remark: during her studies she
wanted to know the difference between how paper was looked upon in India and
Japan. In Japan it is an art to make paper and there is respect for the craft
and the craftsman. She finds that there is a lack of respect for paper in
India.
“Life in Our hands" a community
project done with Settle Stories, Yorkshire, UK
Video with Cotton rag pulp
4x3 meters, 2019
Photo credit: Mallikarjun Katakol
Shantamani
4. Do you teach
others papermaking?
All the inquired artists have given paper workshops in one way or
another apart from Kulu, who is”trending
“ people to use paper as their primary subject for art. Jenny teaches only
design interns and has given bookbinding workshops. Shantamani has guided a
rural woman sustainable project through paper products and given few workshops.
Sudipta teaches children now and then and organizations on invitation, Radha teaches
and give lectures in India and aboad and Neeta has given workshops in England,
Switzerland and India. Ravikumar have conducted workshops in his studio, at art
schools, architectural colleges and art museums.
Since 2005 Anupam, who has founded the Nirupama Academy of Handmade
Paper in Kolkata, is offering hands-on training/ workshops to individuals,
groups, students at academic institutions, government and non- government
organizations employees at his Academy and elsewhere. He states that he
has taught more than thousand individuals.
5: Have you studied
the history of paper in India or abroad?
If you have ever visited paper mills and paper artists in other
countries, what were your impressions?
Radha: I
studied Japanese papermaking formally first with Catherine Nash at Haystack
Mountain School of Craft in Maine, US for three weeks (2005). Four years after
this I went to the Philippines to study with Asao Shimura for 2-3 weeks. I
learned how to make western style papers but using a su/geta( Japanes mould for
papermaking) with banana fibres, Kozo as
well as pineapple fibres. I also learned how to make shifu (Japanese paper
thread), and learned about growing and using konnyaku( Japanese impregnated
paper). It was a huge learning to see artiss in their own studios and spaces
and notice how their work space was made to fit their needs. Asao got a lot
done with very simple set ups and very simple machines.
The next
paper-related international travel was to the Friends of Dard Hunter conference
in 2010 where I met Timothy Barrett, Peter Thomas, David Reina, Jim Croft and
Catherine Nash again and others. Here I decided to apply to the University of
Iowa Center for the Book graduate program and started there in 2011. The
following year I visited the historic mill in Capellades, Spain. It was amazing
to see all the history we had been learning about in school come to life.
The year after that I went for the IAPMA* conference in Fabriano, Italy,
another eye opening experience to see historical examples of watermarking
technology and tools; as well as meeting others in the field and hear about
their work in paper. As for books along the way before I went to Iowa - I read:
A Papermakers Companion, by Helen Heibert, The Complete Book of Papermaking by Josep Asunción, Off the Deckle Edge by Neeta Premchand
Ravikumar says in one of his answer: People
find it (making paper) interesting, but not many continue the exploration.
Anupam has after his stay with Jacki Parri for half a year at Glasgow
School of Art in Scotland, where he got an insight in Western and Eastern
papermaking techniques, mostly done research via books and articles. He has
visited Dieu Donne Paper and Carriage House Paper in NY, Two American well known
places in the paper world with a very fine set up.
Jenny has interned with Helen Hiebert in Portland, Oregon and met with
many US based paper artists. She has visited Dieu Donne, NY, visited one IAPMA*
exhibition and done 3-4 workshops in book binding in the US. Apart from that
she has visited paper mills in Pune, India, a kagzi in Sanganer and
Pondicherry. Jenny writes that she was impressed with many of the artists’ work
in the West and she thinks Indian artists should be more exposed to
possibilities of the material.
Kulu has never studied the handmade paper and Shantamani, Ravikumar and
Sudipta has mainly searched in India and in the East. Sudipta has received a Greenshield
award and is documenting various centres of papermaking such as Jungshi
handmade paper factory in Thimpu, banana fibre paper, Indian manufacturers in
Assam and Lokta manufacturers in Katmandu. Shanthamani has visited Khadi
Gramodyoga in South India, but she is still depending on paper produced in
Europe. Ravikumar has met other artists working with paper during a Hanji show
in Chennai. He has visited papermaking units in Bangalore, Pondichery, Ahmedabad, Sikkim, Jaipur
and Shantiniketan in India and in Mexico, South Korea, Glasgow and Nepal. He
finds the Jang Ji Bang studio,Seoul, South Korea, very professional and thorough in their
method - ology.
Neeta has done thorough historical research abroad as mentioned before
including the Silk Road, Xian and Samarkhand, but also in India. In the 90’s
she became interested in the study of paper used for old manuscripts and
discovered that from 1980’s – 1990’s most of the papermaking units she had seen
and photographed had been destroyed, but there was a lot of paper on the
market. The last mill she visited was Daulatabad, where they were famous for
making thin paper in the 17th century. When she visited the mill was
about to close down and spontaneously she bought it. She revived it and opened The Bombay Paperie.
6: Do you use mainly local plants/fibres in your paper production or do
you import fibres from abroad?
Anupam only uses indigenous plants that
grow in West Bengal and in other parts of India. Shantamani uses recycled 100 %
cotton rag pulp from Tirupur textile industry and states that banana fibre and
jute fibre are easily available in the southern part of India. Sudipta has made
paper from banana fibre and waste material. She has bought Hanji paper from
South Korea – it depends on the need and the demand of the work she is making.
Jenny and Ravikumar use only Indian fibres. Radha imports fibres and is looking
for a good quality hemp in India. Kulu uses readymade paperboard for his
cuttings. Neeta uses her own paper from Daulatabad and old paper.
I sense a lack of broader investigation
into what is possible with different plants and their bio based capacities.
India has such a huge potential – there is a lot to be done!
White Memories, cast cotton rag pulp, 9" x 9", 2019
Ravikumar
Kashi
7: What do you know
about the Kagzi tradition in India, and does it inform your paper making
practice?
Most artists express that the kagzi tradition as such has not and
doesn’t enlighten their paper practice.
Anupam, Neeta and Radha have studied the history of paper in India and
researched it on their own. Radha has written articles about it and is
currently working on a deeper research project, which is going towards a book.
She also teaches workshops on the subject. Neeta wrote about kagzis in her book
Off the Deckle Edge as mentioned
before.
Sudipta
states: for me the Kagzi tradition in
India speaks not only about traditional papermaking practice but also about
multi-culturalism and Indo-Islamic history. She feels that the kagzi
tradition can show us pathways into making paper that is ecologically more
beneficial.
I agree.
Today one can find a lot of historical writings about India and paper history
and there is inspiration to be found in these writings. Following FN’s 17 sustainable
development goals in order to transform our world, paper and its history
can open up knowledge and show one of the ways to go.
8: How is hand papermaking received in India today?
Here again the questioned
artists seem to agree that there is a very slow growing interest. Paper is seen
as eco-friendly, but there is a lack of awareness, lack of visibility, creative
intervention and lack of marketing strategy. Indian handmade paper industry
does not have a systematic and planned marketing for its promotion on a wider
spectrum according to Anupam. You do not
see handmade paper in the market and even in art colleges you do not see much
of handmade paper and in the publication and design area, we see very few
efforts in adopting handmade paper, Shantamani says. Jenny names it a niche
–market, but a growing market in the bottom of the list of materials compared
to other hand crafts, due to lack of knowledge and demand. Sudipta says that
through the consciousness and the practice of many contemporary artists it is
receiving more attention than before.
The conclusion as far as I
see it is: that paper eventually will reclaim its position. Cellulose is
beginning to win territory as research and experiments are taking place at
universities all around the world. India should follow up on this at their
universities.
Title: Trail-III
Medium: Handmade paper (linen yarn, banana &
ramie fibre) & back lit box, 2019
59 x 31 x 3 in, Anupam Chakrabroty
9: Why do you think papermaking and the scribal arts
in India have been less able to rise from their roots than the textile
tradition?
Sudipta writes that earlier we have not understood and paid
attention to the amazing traditional
skills present around us, which has led to stagnation to the practices. Today
through research artistic approach scientific experiments and more global
awareness will make the former practices dynamic again.
Jenny finds that textile was far more evolved in India from very early on and
that weaving was a developed craft all over the regions. Paper was from the
beginning for limited purpose for art with royal patronage.
Shantami agrees with Jenny
concerning textile and that there are very
few good hand papermaking units producing good paper. India is a developing
country which thrives to acquire what is in the first –world market other than
looking inward in terms of developing a sustainable product within its
available practices. A lot of indigenous knowledge systems are surprisingly
still alive in India and there is a greater opportunity to develop them
further.
Anupam states: following areas can be considered for
negligible growth in hand papermaking and scribal art from their roots compared
to textile tradition: a) lack of professional skills among implementing
agencies, b) Poor quality measures, c) Inadequate research and development
programmes, d) Absence of aggressive marketing strategies, e) Lack of
involvement of artists and designers in the R&D ( Research &
Development) and production team.
Ravikumar suspects that it is because of government polices and
mentions Weavers Service Centre and Pupul
Jaykar, who was instrumental in the revival of textiles. No such effort has
been made for paper.
Radha mentions that at the time of independence, KVIC did
the wrong thing by introducing auto-vats and training the average person to
make paper and that this was the final blow to the kagzi tradition. She
also mentions lack of government support and interest. In Neeta’s experience the Khadi commission did the biggest
disservice to the paper craft by showing a total lack of interest in the
quality and never made any great effort to sell the paper or pay the
papermakers. She also mentions that the
quality of cotton available in India has a poor quality. With most of the waste
from GM cotton, the yarn is too loose and knots when made into pulp. This
leaves holes in the paper when it is produced thin.
The conclusion is that
nobody really supports the revival of the ancient craft of papermaking.
Today – in 2019 – I have the hope that
artists will revive this craft and art, which has been the case since 1950 in
the West and by their example push KVIC etc. to see the sustainable and bio
based quality of paper as a new way to go.
The city has layers
of expression, 91cm x 60 cm, Paper Board,
cutting
Kulu Ojha
10: Do you think the Khadi and Village
Industries Commission change its approach as it sees the growing market for
exported paper?
Shantamani writes, that the approach should aim at innovation
within the field instead of still training basic industrial skills and nothing
else. Ravikumar has given a proposal to the Khadi commission to do an
intervention project, but without response. He states that paper made in the Khadi papermaking unit are unimaginative.
Jenny finds that KVIC does not understand
what needs to be done for handmade paper. Sudipta writes that KVIC should
change their approach due to the growing market of exported paper: It should not only encourage the traditional
process of papermaking but also inspire them to make a viable alternative to
chemically treated paper through collaboration with artists and researchers. It
could be India’s contribution to the solution of ecological distress by factory
made, chemically treated paper. Anupam writes: Some
major positive changes have been noticed in this regard since last few years.
It has been observed that KVIC is
presently grappling with problems on the supply side, and not on the demand
side. It is one of the reasons that KVIC has
been concentrating on its production facilities across the country through the
help of all its supply chain agencies. KVIC, which falls under the jurisdiction
of Ministry of MSME, is also thought of providing incentives and shops for
start ups in the MSME segment. KVIC also assists export of khadi and village
industry products through Export
Incentive Scheme. Besides these, KVIC also supports khadi
and village industry institutions as well as REGP units and state boards for
participation in international trade fairs abroad. The fairs not only provide
an opportunity to find new buyers but also expose the participating units to
the quality, packaging and standard of similar products from different
countries. The knowledge enables them to suitably reorient the production and
process to access foreign markets as well as prepare them to compete with the
foreign products coming to local markets in India.( Note: This info Anupam has
obtained from MSME & KVIC websites and from uploaded research papers
related to this area through Google search – the info is from 1990!)
These
different answers tell me that KVIC is not doing enough in relation to FN’s 17
World Goals: In 2015, world leaders agreed to 17 goals for a better
world by 2030. These goals have the power to end poverty, fight inequality and
address the urgency of climate change. Guided by the goals, it is now up to all
of us, governments, businesses, civil society and the general public to work
together to build a better future for everyone. Here KVIC should direct paper
production towards the innate possibility of handmade paper production:
sustainability by setting up collaborative workshop with artists and designers
all over India.
11: Do you think they (KVIC) could spearhead the
revival of more traditional paper production for use by conservators and
artists?
The artists’ attitude to this question is not
reflecting a lot of expectations, but a tiny hope : Anupam writes: They could if they can transfer their weakness into
strength and Shantami: Awareness
and market opportunities will make a huge difference. Sudipta finds that the revival already has started
through the hands of artists who are using handmade paper more and more, making
it themselves or searching for better qualities in India or abroad, and also
through curators, galleries and researchers, who have a growing interest in the
old techniques. It is a slow process, but I think eventually India will get
there in 20 – 30 years acknowledging its wealth existing in production of
quality products and involving qualified engaging people!
12: How do you envision the development of handmade
paper and paper art in India’s future?
Shantamani: There is a greater
possibility to develop the handmade paper into a sustainable system in India.
We have an example of providing 20 women a decent salary in a rural area to
sustain their families. If this project is getting attached to microfinance
support system, it can revolutionize women’s economic independence. In 2004,
there were no handmade paper studios in Bangalore. But today we have three
artists working with the basic amenities. Things will surely change in coming
days. Sudipta believes that handmade
paper will become an alternative to the environmentally harmful chemical
treated paper. It needs to be recognized by the administrative machinery in
India to make it happen.
Jenny and Anupam state that paper
has to be introduced in academic curriculum in government and private schools,
art and design schools. Ravikumar sees
a growing interest in artists’ communities. He also states that the influence
slowly has come from abroad – e.g. the students, who studied with Jacki Parri:
Anupam, Ravikumar and Shantami. Radha states that she hopes people will be
proud of their heritage.
Anupam mentions the Indian Bengali sculptor and printmaker Somnath Hore
( 1921 – 2006) as one of the first Indian artist who used handmade paper as an
artistic means of expression. Hore is considered a major pioneer of modern art
in India. He experimented with different printmaking techniques and materials,
culminating with his abstract paper pulp series “Wounds”, produced in 1970.
An Indian artist I would have liked to include in this project is Priya
Ravish Mehra (1961 – 2018) who studied weaving and design at Santiniketan.
Priya had what I would call a holistic view on textile: the plant, which
becomes thread and is woven into cloth – a cloth that again can be transformed
into paper pulp and get a new life as paper pulp. In her later work she fused
paper pulp with cloth and looked upon this as a healing process. This concept
has been part of my practice for the past 40 years and I’m very sad that I
never got to meet Priya. She knew one of my teachers, Japanese Yosiko Wada,
based in San Francisco. With Yosiko,
Priya made a workshop: “Bearing Witness” in Delhi in March 2015, Habitat, hosted by the Lila Foundation.
Another artist who is worth mentioning in this context is Zarina
(Hashmi) born in 1937 in India. Paper is her passion and central to her
practice as a surface to print on and as a material with its own properties in
history allied also with literary tradition. In the 1980s, she
literalized this interest by casting three-dimensional works with paper pulp,
creating forms that would become cast bronze sculptures.
Further the young artist Aniindita Bhattachary engages with tradition
in a dialogue with the contemporary world, claiming India’s heritage in her
beautiful hand cut jalis in wasli paper, painted with gouache and her own
colours from natural dyes, coffee stains and
miniature paintings. (Wasli paper
is created by gluing together several layers of handmade paper with archival
glue, polishing and smoothing the surface by hand to prepare the paper for
miniature painting.)
Anupam says: more
artists, designers, papermakers and creative entrepreneurs must take initiative
to set up professional papermaking studios at different parts of the country.
Besides these, a body of dedicated paper artists must introduce interactive
sessions through hands-on training, slide presentation, seminar and exhibition
throughout the year to make this medium a viable one.
Being
a dedicated papermaking unit, Nirupama Academy of Handmade Paper conducts
papermaking workshops, provides papermaking kits to academic institutes and
individuals and also involved in doing collaborative projects with artists and
designers, government and non-government organisations throughout the year.
Papers produced at Nirupama Academy have been used by many artists, designers
and private organisations in India and abroad. K.G. Subramanyan, Linda Benglis,
Amar Kanwar, Priya Ravish Mehra, Mithu Sen, Yardena Kurulkar, Natalie Vassil, Marinos Vlessas & Maria Malakou, Thinley Rhodes, Maku Textiles Pvt. Ltd., Philip
Qian, Jeannie McArthur Koga, Hoang Tien Quyet,
Anne Vilsboell and many more are in our client list. By experiencing increasing
demand of our paper among artists, designers and in corporate houses, I am
quite optimistic that quality handmade
paper and paper art will play a formidable role in India’s future.
I personally met Anupam in 2009 in his studio in
Kolkata and felt very happy that someone was doing something for handmade
paper! I ordered paper from him and find that he ever since has come a long way
pursuing his passion and in spreading knowledge. More artists will follow, but
it means to choose paper as one’s medium and have good reasons to do so. It is
a rewarding journey.
Forest Light: A forest of Fir in the middle
of a city transported me to a space in which only I existed along with the tall trees that surrounded me. The
diffused light that filtered through the canopies and made apparent the details
of each tree, had a special quality of quietude and tranquility that I had
never before experienced. I had found my place in the world, and it was here,
in the quiet and slowness of nature. Forest
Light is a tunnel book that is created using handmade Kozo and
hemp papers. The back panel is a sheet of waxed Kozo that diffuses the light
entering the tranquil forest scene. This book began as a dimensional
illustration that was used as a book cover for a classic Penguin publication of
a book of poem’s by the 16th century poet, Tahir Ghani. Radha
Panday
13: Are you in contact with the other paper makers or paper
artists in India or abroad?
Radha is in touch with papermakers and paper
artists in the Western part of the world having studied at Iowa University with
Timothy Barrett, taken workshops, participating in paper conferences and giving
lectures and she is surely one, who has decided to transfer actions in paper
knowledge to a broader audience.
Shanthami is familiar with a few artists in Southern India, Ravikumar is
in touch with Asian artists, he has met at biennials and triennials, Jenny with
very few and Sudipta knows Anupam and Ravikumar. Anupam is in touch with
Western and few Indian artists. Neeta has Bombay
Paperie and I can only encourage all artists who search good quality paper
to visit her shop. She sells handmade paper with 4 deckle edges, unlike the 2
of machine made “handmade paper.” She would be delighted for the paper to go to
people who knows the difference.
Unfortunately a lot of paper is on the market
as “handmade paper” without being so. This fact presses the market for real
handmade paper
I think it is time now for Indian artists who
work with paper to meet and perhaps create an association and spread the news
of such an association to all art schools and design schools, to KVIC etc. – to
make yearly conferences, newsletters and exhibitions together. Study what
Friends of Dard Hunter did in USA and what IAPMA did in Europe. A community of
like minded people will grow and a group is always stronger than one person.
My hope is that this article will create
awareness and make the 8 selected questioned Indian artists acquainted with
each other. I’m sure there must be many more following, so that India can build
up its own 21st century paper family.
Anne Vilsbøll
* IAPMA: The International Association of Hand
Papermakers and Paper Artists.
Anne Vilsbøll
Danish artist, author and curator has been involved with handmade paper as an
artistic means of expression since the early 80'ties. From 1986 - 2000 she was
editor and president for IAPMA, The International Association of Hand
Papermakers and Paper Artists. She has curated exhibitions, written books,
numerous articles, taught at art academies and design schools many places in
the world, given lectures on the subject as well as showing her own art
internationally and nationally for the past 36 years. (www.paperacademy.dk - www.annevilsboll.com – www.makanne.dk)
Anne Vilsbøll’s art is the
result of intense innovative and inspirational research into the hidden
potential of paper as a tool for modern means of expression. She has been
acclaimed as one of the pioneers among a number of remarkable artists who
during the past sixty years have searched to revive the lost form of the
ancient craft of papermaking as a contemporary art form.( Bogomila Welsh – Ovcharow in Anne
Vilsbøll-the language of Paper, Edition Heede &Moestrup, 2011).
