It has always been my intention to show that handmade paper is an art form. Artists’ expressions in handmade paper highlight geographical, biological, ecological, cultural, historical, and aesthetic aspects—all of deep interest to me. Like a bird constantly flying from West to East and back again, in my four-plus decades as a visual artist, I have observed that the history and development of any country can be illuminated through the history of paper.
The idea to curate the exhibition “Paper—A Cross-Cultural Voice”1 arose after a research project,2 in which eight Indian artists answered thirteen questions designed to gain their insight into the status of handmade paper in India and illustrate their relationship with it. I carried out this research in 2018–2019, based on my observation at India’s Kochi-Muziris Biennale (Kerala) and the India Art Fair (Delhi) that there was an increased use of handmade paper in the exhibited works.3
The artists’ answers harmonized with my previous studies of the journey of handmade paper in other cultures and confirmed the shifts occuring in the art scene in general, namely that these art trends are moving eastwards while there is a greater interest in old craftsmanship and “the making.” With handmade paper being used as an art form in the East, there was fertile ground to curate an exhibition with the purpose of showing the recent global interest in handmade paper and the exchange that takes place regardless of distance.
The artists I had interviewed became the artists I invited to exhibit: Anupam Chakraborty, Sudipta Das, Ravikumar Kashi, Shantamani Muddaiah, Kulu Ojha, Radha Pandey, Jenny Pinto,4 and Neeta Premchand. They were to be shown together with Western artists who have been catalysts for the development of handmade paper over the last four decades: Jacki Parry, Victoria Rabal, Gangolf Ulbricht, Susan Gosin, Emilie Lundstroem, and myself.5
To curate means to collect, identify, register, and select; to understand the countries in which you operate and have an insight into the artists and audience. Having a strong connection to India and its art scene over the past 24 years, it was important to me that the exhibition be shown in India because it could offer new perspectives and rejuvenate the interest in handmade paper. To find a suitable exhibition location in India, I contacted the Danish Cultural Institute in Delhi.
In March 2020, while teaching in Ahmedabad (Gujarat), I visited the Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum. Its buildings and beautiful park appealed to me as a place to exhibit. Then COVID-19 appeared, putting the whole project on hold. The Danish Cultural Institute closed, and the meetings were postponed.
Additionally, it was important to present the exhibition in Denmark to illuminate cross-cultural encounters. I contacted the Art Center Silkeborg Bad, where I had curated “Paper Revisioned” in 2001.6 After a meeting with the art center in September 2021, a collaboration agreement was made between director Iben From, exhibition inspector Dorte Kirkeby Andersen, and myself. The exhibition areas were mapped; a budget drawn up and responsibilities delegated. I had to manage the fundraising along with Dorte; adapt the concept; prepare a list of works; obtain transport and loan agreements; procure photos, permissions, and texts for the catalog; conduct three lectures and tours; and provide workshops.
To raise funds, we approached several organizations. Our goal was to cover transport costs and provide artists with a fee in accordance with Danish Museum law. The Danish Cultural Institute was still closed, so I contacted Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum through a good friend, Manisha Basu. Following a meeting in October 2022, the museum agreed to host the exhibition. It would turn out to be an uphill collaboration. The norm of institutions sharing international transport costs was not agreeable by the museum. In November, after meeting with Jayshree Lalbhai and two museum employees, Chandni Guha Roy and Bhasha Mewar, the museum agreed to cover part of the costs for return transport. I was invited to an exhibition opening the following day to see how it was organized. They did it brilliantly: prominent guests, speeches, the traditional India opening ceremony with oil lamps and long tables of food.
The Art Center Silkeborg Bad and I decided that funding by Danish sponsors should only cover expenses for the exhibition in Denmark.
Curating also means organizing the catalog and poster, performances, workshops, and transport of works. Getting reasonable transport costs between India and Denmark was one of the biggest headaches in the entire process. It had become hideously expensive after COVID-19. Customs, duties, and handling fees were more expensive than I could have ever imagined. After many twists and turns, we reached an agree- ment with the professional international transport company MTAB.
My collaboration with the Art Center’s Dorte Kirkeby Andersen went very well. We both managed to raise funds, albeit not quite the magnitude we had aimed for. I had the texts, catalog, and poster done; the printing went well thanks to Dorte’s help. Arrangements with artist Birgit Løkke were made for two performances, one for the opening and one during the exhibition. Classes were offered for all age groups; a natural dyeing workshop with Radha Pandey took place; and tours of the museum were organized.
Installing the works, the opening ceremony, and handling the media were key elements in this stage of the curatorial process. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience installing the show with the exhibition technicians. It is a great joy to work with professionals and see your ideas realized. Being a curator is like being a theater director—every detail of the production must be monitored.
The opening of the exhibition at the Art Center Silkeborg Bad proceeded to everyone’s satisfaction: there were opening speeches introducing the five artists who were present, and the paper performance. The museum hosted everyone’s stay leading up to the opening and provided meals, treating the artists in the best way. Handling press and social media were overseen by the museum and me.
After the exhibition’s first presentation was on track, it was time to shift focus to India. I had to apply for an ATA-Carnet (the international customs and temporary export-import document) and build a large transport case that would contain six artists’ works, including mine. The exhibition in India had to be scaled down, as the museum in India was smaller. I arranged for the European and American artists to select smaller works, and I asked each Indian artist to send their works to Ahmedabad. The Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum covered the return shipping within India and part of the shipping to Denmark. I ended up paying for the ATA-Carnet, transport box, and shipment to India, as none of the European or American artists could or would pay for the transport.
The timing was tight between the closing of the exhibition in Denmark and shipping of the works to India, but I have the attitude that if you have said A, you must also say B. I was happy when everything arrived safely in India. Despite many troubles beforehand, we had an unforgettable week leading up to the opening, with help from countless sweet assistants. My Danish first assistant Dorthe Weis participated in mounting the exhibition to my great happiness. We stayed at a hotel, which we paid for ourselves.
Right up to the opening, I, and five of the Indian artists were interviewed by an impressive crowd of press people. The chairs in the park were full. Jayshree Lalbhai and I gave speeches, and Birgit Løkke performed with paper. Birds communicated with her and the paper’s sounds to the amazement of everyone in the thrilled audience. Tables filled with food completed the evening. It was nothing short of a delightful experience that made all previous obstacles disappear into the darkness. We did it! Many visitors reported that it was the first time they had experienced handmade paper art at an art exhibition in India.
Curation is like keeping twenty kites in the air at once. You must be good at organizing and have the conviction that everything will work out. Whatever it takes.
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notes
1. The exhibition was presented at the Art Center Silkeborg Bad in Denmark, October 1, 2022–January 8, 2023, and at the Kasthurbhai Lalbhai Museum in Ahmedabad, India, February 18–March 18, 2023.
2. The research project was titled “Indian Artists–handmade paper as an artistic means of expression.” To read the interviews, visit https://takeonartmagazine.com/essays/indian-artist-handmade-paper-as-an-artistic-means-of-expression.
3. An excerpt from my research is included in my article, “Sudipta Das: In Her Own Words,” Hand Papermaking vol. 36, no. 1 (Summer 2021): 20–23. A summary of all eight artists’ answers is available online at https://annevilsboll.blogspot.com/, in the catalog for the exhibition “Paper—A Cross-Cultural Voice,” as well as in the online version of the Indian art magazine Take on Art.
4. Jenny Pinto participated in the questionnaire, but not in the exhibitions.
5. Emilie Lundstrøm was invited to exhibit because her work refers to the historical paper movement from China towards the West.
6. Silkeborg paper factory and the city of Silkeborg itself were established in 1845, giving the creation of paper a historical foundation in the city’s history. That is why I have always found it natural to show international paper exhibitions in this very place.
