Archana Hande began her artistic career as a printmaker. Her practice then transitioned to include various mediums, including video, installation and drawing. Hande’s projects explore a wide range of social themes – from the religious and sociological tradition of arranged marriages, to the role of institutions and museums as sites of power. She curates interactive displays and spaces that challenge normative ideas, committed to engaging diverse communities in meaningful dialogue Hande’s work has been showcased in numerous exhibitions world-wide, and she continues to explore the intersections of art, society, and culture.
Labour Movements, Migration, Right of Artisans, Architecture Spaces, Mass Production and Printmaking are the key characters and sutradhars of this narration that focuses on key episodes from 20th century colonial India and the post-independence nation. Alongside, included artists also allude to global events of great significance that have shaped their practice. Reba Hore and Somnath Hore’s studio, located in the Lalbandh area of Santiniketan, stands as both a witness and a participant in this ongoing dialogue. Built by the Hore family who believed deeply in the transformative power of art, the studio is a place where ideology and practice merge seamlessly. A few artists are invited to share the space, to connect the dots between then and now, between Hore’s time and our own. In this context, printmaking is more than a technique; it is a metaphor for the imprint of history on human effort, for the repetition and precision demanded by both art and labour.
