Narayanamma fixes her scarf while her daughter plays in the background. She finishes a day of processing millet in a women-run millet company, Earth 360, in Andhra Pradesh, India. photo credit: sarahkkhan
"In/Visible: Portraits of Farmers and Spice Porters, India" Photography Exhibition
June 7 - September 7, 2018
NYU Kimmel Windows (W. 3rd & Laguardia Pl.)
In thirteen black and white photographs, Sarah K. Khan portrays Indian women farmers and spice porters who embody deep knowledge about seed-saving, agro-ecology, food culture, and healing. Resilient women farmers—over 98 million in India alone—toil the land, confront unrelenting struggle, and generate profound cultural contributions. The “porters of taste” haul their burdens in Asia’s largest spice market, Khari Baoli in Old Delhi. No longer able to survive a farming life, spice porters trek to the city as migrant laborers seeking employment. In the midst of a day, there are fleeting moments of quiet or rest. Khan’s intimate portraits of these women and men remind us of their dignity, intelligence, and mastery while we indulge in the bounty they produce.
Sarah K. Khan is a Pakistani-American multimedia artist and Visiting Scholar at the Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU.
Curated by Grace Aneiza Ali, Assistant Professor & Faculty Fellow in the Department of Art & Public Policy, Tisch School of the Arts, NYU.
Organized by Pamela Jean Tinnen, Director and Lead Curator for NYU's Kimmel Galleries.