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(RE)PAINTING HISTORIES

Problematizing Euro-centric museum practices by intervening in the ‘Grand Gallery’ of the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design.

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project description

The narratives of European culture are told without mention of their colonial origins. Histories of resource extraction and non-European aesthetic formativeness are rarely referenced in the architectural epicenters, or 'grand' galleries of museums.

The museum label intervention: (Re)Painting Histories, attempted to problematize and acknowledge the realities of cultural exchange, and sometimes even erasure, evident in the production of the works on view in the Grand Gallery of the ︎︎︎ Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design.

Brown Daily Herald on (Re)Painting Histories ︎︎︎

Celebrating the Launch of New England’s First Publication for the South Asian Diaspora—

In collaboration with the ︎︎︎ Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, ︎︎︎ Saxena Center for Contemporary South Asia, and ︎︎︎The Fleet Library, the event for the launch of ︎︎︎ desi-gned, was a space for students to connect with artists, faculty, and staff who work in the areas of print and publishing, South Asian studies, and art and design research, as we celebrated with drinks, charcuterie, and live classical and contemporary South Asian music.

Ironically, we were in the European galleries, celebrating a publication whose entire work has been focused on revisiting South Asian artifacts and stories from Euro-American archives that often overlook subaltern truths.

From Rembrandt's Mughal influences to the South Asian origins of the color yellow, we worked to curate a journey through the RISD Museum's collection far beyond what is exhibited on the walls of the Museum’s Grand Gallery.

︎︎︎ Brown, RISD students launch New England’s first publication for South Asian diaspora

︎︎︎ @risd1877 “desi-gned” Spotlight

The museum labels from the site-specific installation were adopted by the Museum’s ︎︎︎ Education Department to be integrated into Teen and K-12 education programs to decolonize the museum space.

TEXTILES—

**Histories of textile trade and influences that are evident in the costumes of European Art, such as Chintz, Zardozi, ‘Cashmere’ shawls, and cotton prints.**

PIGMENTS—

Histories of pigments used in these paintings, tracing their roots back to South Asia, such as lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, Indian Yellow from Bengal, and Venetian Red from the Deccan.

PAINTING STYLES—

Histories of aesthetics, style, and compositions that were exchanged between Europe and South Asia, from Rembrandt’s Mughal influences to the origins of fresco painting.

LAND AND ECOLOGY—

Histories of ecological resources that fuelled the largest cultural movements in Europe— from the Central Asian origins of the tulip bulbs to the early influences of the Arab ‘ud on the European lute.

JEWELRY—

Histories of precious and semi-precious stone and jewelry aesthetic trades that inspired the greatest jewelry traditions practiced in Europe and the New World— tracing histories of pearls and polychrome jewelry aesthetics.

PROJECT DETAILS

Client:
Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design

Timeline:

2 weeks (April 2023)

Tools:

Microsoft Word, Adobe InDesign

Skills:

Art Historical Research, Museum Curation, Museum Label Writing

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(RE)PAINTING HISTORIES

Problematizing Euro-centric museum practices by intervening in the ‘Grand Gallery’ of the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design.

From Rembrandt's Mughal influences to the South Asian origins of the color yellow, we worked to curate a journey through the RISD Museum's collection far beyond what is exhibited on the walls of the Museum’s Grand Gallery.

The museum labels from the site-specific installation were adopted by the Museum’s ︎︎︎ Education Department to be integrated into Teen and K-12 education programs to decolonize the museum space.

TEXTILES—Histories of textile trade and influences that are evident in the costumes of European Art, such as Chintz, Zardozi, ‘Cashmere’ shawls, and cotton prints.

TEXTILES—

PIGMENTS— Histories of pigments used in these paintings, tracing their roots back to South Asia, such as lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, Indian Yellow from Bengal, and Venetian Red from the Deccan.

PIGMENTS—

PAINTING STYLES— Histories of aesthetics, style, and compositions that were exchanged between Europe and South Asia, from Rembrandt’s Mughal influences to the origins of fresco painting.

PAINTING STYLES—

LAND AND ECOLOGY— Histories of ecological resources that fuelled the largest cultural movements in Europe— from the Central Asian origins of the tulip bulbs to the early influences of the Arab ‘ud on the European lute.

LAND AND ECOLOGY—

JEWELRY— Histories of precious and semi-precious stone and jewelry aesthetic trades that inspired the greatest jewelry traditions practiced in Europe and the New World— tracing histories of pearls and polychrome jewelry aesthetics.