Aaron Sinift’s art book trilogy — 5 Year Plan (2010), Other Imaginings (2016), and Dreaming It Forward (2024) — blends Gandhian philosophy, collaborative artistry, and social activism. Born from Sinift’s vision and created in collaboration with artists like Kahkashan Khan and Jitendra Kumar, the series offers a bridge between traditional Indian culture and contemporary global issues. Each book is made from cloth and features art and text works that have been printed with silkscreen and woodblock, along with embroidered covers.

5 Year Plan introduces the Gandhian principle of self-reliance through the art of khadi cloth-making, reflecting the Gandhian ethos of simplicity and sustainability, while emphasizing the dignity of labor and the spiritual dimension of manual work. Other Imaginings delves into the heart of rural India and focuses on the life and struggles of cotton farmers and artisans, weaving narratives around the importance of organic farming and ethical production practices. Dreaming It Forward culminates the series, documenting the transformative journey of cotton from seed to fabric, embodying the spirit of Sarvodaya, or universal uplift, advocating for a world where progress benefits all.

Together, the books are a call to action, encouraging readers to engage with the pressing issues of our time: environmental degradation, social injustice, and the need for sustainable development. They stand as a testament to the power of collaborative art in fostering understanding, empathy, and change.

Published by Reliable Copy in Bangalore, India, 2019.

A Memorial for the New Economy by Chinar Shah responds to the grave consequences of the Indian government’s sudden withdrawal of 500 and 1000 rupee banknotes in 2016, which destabilized the heavily cash-dependent economy and subsequently resulted in over 100 deaths. The project focuses on the invisibilized violence of financial collapse by memorializing the lives lost as a result of the sudden demonetization. With a series of embroidered handkerchiefs bearing the names of the deceased, the publication serves as a site for collective mourning, remembrance, and reflection, inviting readers to confront the human cost of reckless political decisions deemed necessary for “the greater good.” Shah offers a personalized tribute and highlights the disproportionate impact on women in a society shaped by patriarchy.

Published by photo.circle & Nepal Picture Library in Kathmandu, Nepal, 2018.

Collating photographs spanning six decades and diverse regions of Nepal, this photobook asserts the historical presence of Dalits in Nepali public life while exploring their resistance. Accompanied by essays delving into the economic, social, and political dimensions of Dalit struggle, the volume utilizes archival photographs to demand recognition of obscured histories, navigating the ambivalences of visibility and invisibility in Nepal. It seeks to redirect the ethical premise of photography to interrogate caste oppression, recognizing how the caste system ritualizes honor and humiliation in daily life. Despite ongoing discrimination, Dalits in Nepal strive for dignity, challenging the hegemony of upper castes and reshaping their identities through their skills and innovations. The book highlights Dalit activism’s role in creating a counter-public space, aiming to overturn caste-based moral grounds and shift focus to Dalits’ inherent strengths and cultural heritage, thus offering a path to a new and respected identity.

Self-published in Lahore, Pakistan, 2024.

Tasveer’s inaugural issue serves as a photographic musing on the city of Lahore, Pakistan, presented as a constantly self-reinventing organism. Through the lens of photographers Nad-e Ali, Jahanzeb Haroon, and Ali Sultan, the publication captures the city’s historical remnants and its rapidly evolving artistic landscape. In its second issue, “Buniyad-E-Bahar-E-Gulistan,” Tasveer delves into the intersection of gender, ecology, and power within the natural environment. Works by South Asian artists, including Uma Bista, Kannagi Khanna, Farzana Hossen, Hadi Rahman, and Ameera Khan, provide a vivid visual meditation on humanity’s fractured relationship with nature, confronting environmental decay while reimagining a thriving natural world.

Published by Alkazi Foundation in New Delhi, India, 2019.

1528 by Rohit Saha addresses the legacy of the alleged 1,528 extrajudicial killings carried out by the Indian Armed Forces in Manipur between 1979 and 2012 under the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA), which allows the military to execute anyone on the mere suspicion of terrorism or law breaking, and to enter any place and arrest without warrant. Saha began the project in 2016 after civil rights activist and poet Irom Sharmila ended her 16-year hunger strike in protest of the killing of ten people at a bus stop in Malom under AFSPA. Through volunteering with EEVFAM (Extra-Judicial Execution Victim Families of Manipur), an activist organization formed by widows of victims, Saha digitized and organized documents saved by the victims’ families, immersing himself in their testimonies. His photographs bear witness to the landscapes that held these unjust executions, gathering tangible and emotional evidence of the state’s crimes.

Self-published in Chennai, India, 2023.

In The Same River is a limited edition artist’s book that explores the conflicts in Kashmir, addressing themes of resistance, political injustice, and the fluidity of memory. Drawing on Heraclitus’s philosophy, SiSa, influenced by his upbringing in Sri Lanka during its civil war, collaborated with the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) to create a project in three chapters — “memory,” “body,” and “resistance” — focusing on personal and collective memory, bodily discrimination, and violent occupation. Through interviews, examination of photographs and documents, and archival efforts involving 100 families in Kashmir, the project serves as an act of political resistance, demanding justice and preserving narratives to defy erasure. It underscores the notion that remembering is resisting, with the photographs bearing witness to Kashmiris’ pursuit of truth and freedom.

Published by Editions JOJO in Mumbai, India, 2019.

In Today’s News: Alpha Males and Women Power by Kaamna Patel confronts the intricate complexities of patriarchy prevalent in South Asian societies, dissecting its manifestations through media representations. The publication, appropriating excerpts from print media, points to deeply ingrained dynamics of dominance and entitlement, revealing the subtle yet pervasive violence perpetuated by mainstream narratives. Patel highlights the normalization of objectification and dehumanization through social media, urging viewers to question societal norms and their own complicity in upholding harmful narratives. The project serves as a potent call to action, challenging us to strive for a more inclusive and equitable future.