The Sindhu Project: Enigma of Roots

Shaleen Wadhwana
April 16, 2022 - May 18, 2022 

The Sindhu Project: Enigma of Roots


"The Sindhu Project: An Enigma of Roots welcomes you to immerse yourself in the embedded histories of the Sindhu (Indus) river basin reflected through the artworks of Mahwish Chishty and Gunjan Kumar. Their in-situ archaeological site visits and primary research through archival imagery and resources gathered over time, reflect the shared history of the South Asian subcontinent.
Cartography and mark-making are your overarching introductions to this exhibition, where time is reimagined as a living component that elevates preserving our collective intangible cultural heritage. Kumar engaged with turmeric, clay, soil, hand woven cotton, as material evidenced more than 5000 years ago at Indus Valley Civilization sites of Dholavira, Lothal and Sanghol in India. In the same vein, Chishty references motifs from, but not limited to, the Taxila Valley in Gandhara, Pakistan from more than 2500 years ago. Layering of time with historical data of topography and printmaking technique of ink rubbing by Chishty and mark making with potteryshards on mulberry paper by Kumar encapsulates their homage to scribes, potters, writers, and everyday lives that existed in the same region."