A travelling exhibition currently on view at Artshila Goa, Nachinola, explores how photobooks, zines, pamphlets, and similar media have been used for social and political dissent across South Asia
CHRISTINE MACHADO | NT BUZZ
As an artist and photographer, Akshay Mahajan has always been interested in how images are used by various artists and collectives as vehicles of protest and resistance—whether for political, environmental, social, or even personal issues.
This fascination led him to co-curate the exhibition ‘Kaghazi Pairahan’ with Devadeep Gupta. This travelling exhibition, presented by Editions JOJO showcases photobooks, zines, posters, and pamphlets that look at publishing as a tool of resistance. Having toured Artshila centres across India, including Ahmedabad and Shantiniketan, the exhibition has now reached the Goa branch in Nachinola.
“‘Kaghazi Pairahan’, which translates to ‘clothes made of paper’, is inspired by a quote by the poet Mirza Ghalib. It refers to an ancient Persian tradition where a seeker of justice would present themselves before the ruling authority wearing garments made of paper —a symbol of resistance and resilience,” explains Mahajan. Similarly, he says, these photobooks, zines, and other works, reflect the resilience of artists in an era where it takes courage to stand up to forces that suppress freedom of expression.
Often comprised of first-person testimonies, the exhibition works examine resistance in the face of state violence, patriarchy, caste oppression, censorship, and environmental degradation. For example, some address the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019 and the Kashmir conflict.
The Goa edition includes new additions to the show. Among them is the Amchem Mollem collective, which works to preserve Goa’s ecology from destructive infrastructural projects. In addition to activism, they used art. At the exhibition’s opening, the collective conducted a mapping exercise. “They invited people to view the routes of proposed transmission lines, many of which pass through ecologically sensitive wetlands,” says Mahajan. “Participants were also encouraged to add personal memories and photographs to the map, connecting their stories to the landscape.”
Another intervention was a reading by artist Rajyashri Goody from her work ‘Eat with Great Delight’, a collection of recipes written as poems centred around Dalit food practices and caste. Mahajan states that the team is also planning documentary screenings and a symposium.
Through such interventions, Mahajan says, this library and archive of artist testimonies becomes a dynamic exhibition—bringing the printed
material to life.
Other Goa-specific additions include the work of Nishant Saldanha, who pays tribute to Goan freedom fighter Libia Lobo Sardesai, and Niharika Chauhan’s ‘Second Home’, a critique of the growing number of second homes in Goa and their socio-environmental consequences. “Chauhan, who lives in Aldona, takes a tongue-in-cheek, almost satirical approach to the brochures distributed by real estate developers,” explains Mahajan. “She questions the language used in these ads and highlights what’s being lost in
the process.”
Given the exhibition’s broad scope—featuring works from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and across South Asia—Mahajan emphasises that the curation avoided any ideological view on these protests. “We approached it like a library, with an open-door policy. Our role was to create a platform where these works could be accessed freely and given context,” he says.
The process has been personally moving for Mahajan. “It’s heartwarming to see how people respond to these works. During the Amchem Mollem intervention, it was especially touching to see people of all ages participating together,” he shares. “It makes you realise you’re not alone in your activism. You feel rejuvenated.”
(The exhibition is on till June 1)
