Greatmore Studios — South Africa

Greatmore Studios Cape Town 2000 · HSAL, Castle of Good Hope · William Fehr Collection · 3 months

During the turn of the century I had the opportunity to visit South Africa and work there on a residency. It was my dream fulfilled. The rainbow nation had a profound impact on Gandhi, the Mahatma. Reading him teaches us how to dig deep, how to plan life-affirming actions that shape a man and a nation's destiny — his choice of cloth, long strides, deep connection with people, simplicity, minimal living. Every attribute he shared with the world.

He is a thought process, an institution within a frail body, relevant and modern forever. Through my three-month residency in Cape Town I touched Mandela's land — like India, a work in progress, the giant waking, an experiment in unity in diversity, truth through reconciliation.

I made an installation cast in Bapu's thought called midnight song on twelve pages, in reference to India's and our individual independence. As a father who mothered the land, Gandhi's influence is extremely feminine. As the child of Bihar, still agrarian, I pointed to post-colonial struggles of our rural population. My vision of a rising sun on a new nation — palm leaf hand fans and sheaves separating chaff from grain, with dark handmade paper paintings.

One day from Cape Point I saw the confluence of the Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, and wondered about boat-loads of migrants over centuries — enslaved people whose destinations were decided by slave drivers and colonial masters. Year: 2000 · Venue: Cape Town, South Africa · Duration: 3 months · Medium: installation, handmade paper, palm leaf fans, found objects · Key Work: Midnight Song on Twelve Pages · Shown with HSAL at the Castle of Good Hope; held in the William Fehr Collection.