Starting and ending the day with music
My partner Dann (Wildava) is on tour for ten days with Max (Peretsky).
This past Saturday I went to their kickoff show with Omar Ahmed & Cassandra Croft at Little Fields in Brooklyn. I was really tired because I had spent that morning with friends, musicians and organizers on Governors Island activating this beautiful Gaza quilt project. At Littlefields, everyone’s set nearly moved me to tears. Omar’s set in particular was, in Dann’s words, “devasting” and as soon as it ended my friend Hannah said “did you see the news? we just bombed Iran.”
On Sunday I said goodbye to Dann & Max and walked in the 100°F weather to my polling site to cast my early vote for Zohran Mamdani.
Yesterday, I did my ambassador shift at Center for Book Arts. I worked, eavesdropped on Maria Veronica San Martín’s book intensive class, listened to the news and photographed some of my work from the exhibition for documentation.
Today, I’ll walk Papaya (dog) and continue to apply for jobs/prep for interviews. Tonight, I’ll go to my neighborhood bar and watch the polling results with friends.
Last but not least, I wanted to share this poignant sight from last friday when I attended the neighborhood community garden hive check: a bee being born!
Life has been feeling very complicated but I’m thankful to have community.
In gratitude,
Aarati
P.S.
I am selling some Kolam prints and tiger books (email me to purchase). If you really want a work and can't afford it, just let me know — happy to do sliding scale.
Kolam Prints:
Each letterpress print is approximately tabloid size, unframed and $50.Proceeds from the Hind rajab prints go to Gaza.
Tiger books:
$75 for a pair of artists books: one pamphlet and one gatefold accordion.
These are papercut versions of my hardcover artwork In The Belly of the Beast. The original consists of two hardcover books with sculpted covers (pictured on last two slides). These use flat paper cutouts instead of the sculpted covers.
One of the artist books is a gatefold accordion design, modeled after Tipu's Tiger but reimagined in an upright position. When opened, the book splits the tiger's belly, revealing the figure of Robert Clive. The larger book delves into themes such as tiger hunting in colonial India, the tiger as a symbol of resistance and strength, and the broader meaning of being "in the belly of the beast."
Varied edition of 10, riso, hotstamped cover, papercut
