Sent a Letter – Dayanita Singh

Dayanita Singh has been making small photo journals of her travels in India for years. Each book is made with a particular person in mind – either a companion on her journey or someone on her mind during her travels. She makes two handmade copies: one remains with her (which she calls her kitchen museum) and the other is with the friend for whom it was made – diary with coded images of a time shared. Sent a Letter contains seven of these diaries, including one of Nony Singh’s photographs of her daughter growing up. The diaries are constructed in accordion folds and open into mini private exhibitions in her friends’ homes. Each of the seven volumes is presented in a handmade cloth box, there are 126 pages and it measures 9 x 15.5 cm.

Artist / Author

Publishing is also a significant part of the Dayanita Singh’s practice: in her books she experiments with alternate forms of producing and viewing photographs. Here, Singh’s latest is the “book-object,” a work that is concurrently a book, an art object, an exhibition and a catalog. Learn more about Singh and her artistic practice on her website.

Sourced / excerpted from this artist’s website. (2022)