Lost Gardens, 2016
Edition: 100
An artist’s book signed and numbered, inspired by a commissioned series exhibited at the Southbank Centre, London (July-October 2016).
Hand-bound by award winning designer Master Bookbinder Manuel Mazzotti.
Graphics and Typography: Kieran McGlone
Each book is made in a concertina binding with hardcover, hand crafted utilising Wicotex® Dubletta as covering material.
The concertina is made with Lambeth 280 gsm acid free paper.
Dimensions: L: 26 x W: 21 x D: 1.5 cm
Lost Gardens describes a visual journey that takes for its starting point the artist’s memories of the rose garden in Pune, India, an idyllic spot he would visit with his mother to choose their own roses, and watch the gardener cut and trim them. The garden represented a place of solace, contemplation, and unity between humans and nature.
It was then sold and the rose beds built over during the economic expansion. Taking the cue from these personal observations, the artworks invite the spectator onto a journey into an intricate maze of layers of meaning. The garden becomes a metaphor for an endangered refuge, a cultural shelter created through careful communal cultivation and at constant risk to political recklessness.
Putting a multicultural approach and historical roots side by side at the heart of his practice, Lost Gardens becomes the artist’s reminder of the fragility of the precious garden of beauty that is human culture.