Dialogue “Vernacular Graphic Design from the Dominican Republic and India”
New Delhi – On Wednesday 8th December 2021, the photographers and visual artists Aradhana Seth (India) and Maurice Sánchez (Dominican Republic) participated in the online dialogue “Vernacular Graphic Design from the Dominican Republic and India”. This encounter marked the culmination of a month-long exchange, organized by the Embassy of the Dominican Republic in India, during which both creators shared notes on the visual research on vernacular graphic design they have been conducting in their respective countries.
During his opening remarks, Ambassador David Puig expressed that the dialogue had been conceived as part of the efforts of the Embassy of the Dominican Republic in India “to create meaningful conversations between cultural practitioners from both countries”.
For their interaction, Aradhana Seth and Maurice Sánchez presented a selection of images from their archives, paired by themes such as food, ideal beauty, nation building and religion, among others. The similarities and the differences between the vernacular graphic design practices documented gave them the opportunity to reflect on the social, economic and cultural realities of the Dominican Republic and India.
Maurice Sánchez is a Dominican visual artist and photographer. His individual and collaborative works as a member of the artistic collectives Shampoo and Biscuit, have been shown in biennials and exhibitions in the Museum of Modern Art of Santo Domingo, at the San Juan Poly/Graphic Triennial in Puerto Rico, at the Havana Museum in Cuba and at the Brooklyn Museum of New York. He has also curated the exhibitions Arte Urbano Sarmiento, Tipicográfico (gráfica popular dominicana) and Gráfica Independiente Dominicana 2000-2010.
Aradhana Seth is an Indian filmmaker, visual artist ,designer and producer. Her production design credits include The Sky is Pink, The Sweet Requiem, The Hungary, Angry Indian Goddesses, Vara, West is West, Don, One Night with the King, Admissions, Easy, The Guru (India), Leela, Everybody says "I'm Fine!", Karvaan, Earth and Fire. As an Art Director, she has worked on London Has Fallen (India), The Darjeeling Limited, The Bourne Supremacy and Stiff Upper Lips (India). She produced A Suitable Boy, a six part series for BBC 1. She has directed/produced over 18 documentary films including DAM/AGE.
To expand:
“Un diálogo cultural entre la India y la República Dominicana” by Elisabeth Puig