Object/Set: Gauri Gill’s Acts of Appearance
Columbus Museum of Art
On view November 1, 2019 – February 2, 2020
Object/Set: Gauri Gill’s Acts of Appearance features a suite of work by the photographer Gauri Gill (born 1970, Chandigarh, India). While traveling through rural regions of coastal India, Gill learned about Bahora festivals in which villagers wear masks depicting Hindu and local tribal gods, as well as characters from beloved myths. Noticing that these masks had little in common with the everyday lives of the people—many of whom experience acute food and water shortages, and high rates of infant mortality—Gill asked the sons of a legendary Bahora craftsman to create new masks that would better represent contemporary life within their community. These two men, Subhas and Bhagvan Dharma Kadu, worked with a team of more than 30 people from their Adivasi community in Jawhar district, Maharashtra to create the masks that are depicted in Acts of Appearance (2015-ongoing). Gill’s work appears at CMA courtesy of Columbus collector Neil Rector, who acquired the entire debut set of Gill’s new series after seeing it in 2017 at the international art expo Documenta.
Gill was born in Chandigarh, India in 1970, and first trained in painting and applied arts before turning to photography. She subsequently earned a second BFA in Photography from the Parsons School of Design, and completed her MFA in Art at Stanford University in 2002.
Member Preview for Driving Forces: Contemporary Art from the Collection of Ann and Ron Pizzuti and Object/Set: Gauri Gill’s Acts of Appearance
10.31.19, 6:00 PM-8:30 PM
Columbus Museum of Art
Join us for an exclusive member preview of two stunning exhibitions: Driving Forces: Contemporary Art from the Collection of Ann and Ron Pizzuti and Object/Set: Gauri Gill’s Acts of Appearance. Members are invited to celebrate these special shows at CMA with an evening reception, gallery preview, and exhibition talks.
6:30 PM Conversation with Columbus collector Neil Rector and William and Sarah Ross Soter Associate Curator of Photography Anna Lee
7:15 PM Conversation with Guest Curator Rebecca Ibel and Pizzuti Family Curator of Contemporary Art Tyler Cann
[Image: “Untitled, from Acts of Appearance (2015-ongoing), by Gauri Gill. Image courtesy the artist.]
