Ochre Art and Design: You Are Invited

Malini Gupta

You Are Invited explores the deeply rooted dowry system in India and its dehumanizing impact on women. The book weaves storytelling through poetry, presents statistics on dowry-related violence and deaths, and brings real-life cases of dowry-related deaths to light via QR codes. These dynamic QR codes update every year, ensuring the book evolves with the latest reports and remains a living document of this ongoing issue. Intertwined with all this are my own experiences with dowry and what it did to my self-worth. The book is designed to emulate a luxurious wedding invitation of an opulent Indian wedding. The graphics of lush Mughal gardens are also inspired by the graphics of Indian wedding invitations. As the reader lifts the delicate threads binding the book—an act reminiscent of the unveiling of an Indian bride—they are drawn behind the scenes of an Indian wedding. The book incorporates other elements symbolic of Indian weddings—sarees bound within its pages, Hindu prayer mantras, henna patterns, flower petals resting at the bottom of the box, and a final saree infused with itar (Indian perfume). This multi-sensory approach immerses the reader in the beauty and rituals of an Indian wedding while pulling back the curtain to reveal the harsh realities hidden beneath the surface.

Medium: Digitally and letterpress printed book, Coptic stitch binding with sinew thread; Limited Edition of 25; 2024-25