Two Artivism Exhibits Launched

Picture: ICAAD Artivist Dilpreet Bhullar's work, A Home in the Constant Flux

In October 2023, as part of Global Diversity Awareness Month, we collaborated with Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP's New York office for a special showcase of Dicta – a legal poetry collection by ICAAD artivist Harbani Ahuja that explores the gap between law and justice in key U.S. Supreme Court cases through history.

Harbani read a selection of poems from her collections on Immigrant Rights, the Rights of Black People, and Women's Rights, and previewed a poem from her forthcoming collection on the Right to Love. To view Dicta virtually, visit the interactive exhibit.

Since 2014, Manatt has been a valued ICAAD partner, providing us with pro bono resources to advance human rights globally. As a sponsor of our Artivism initiative, it was great to come together to share Harbani's inspiring work for an evening of art and conversation. Check out this video explaining how we work with Manatt to advance activism through the arts.

In November, we were thrilled to support Artivist Dilpreet Bhullar as she launched her new photo series, A Home in the Constant Flux: A Call to the Verb Memory, at the Simurgh Center in New Delhi. The central idea of the photo series is that during migration of people across geographies, the objects of love and necessity undergo the arduous ordeal, and that these, bearing the patina of age, create a desire to develop an understanding that personal histories are not isolated from the political selves. The photo documentation of the object of the refugees – Afghanis, Rohingyas and Tibetans, who are currently inhabitants of New Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir – along with the personal anecdotes recorded, traces the long history of India rooted in a diverse social milieu.

"This photo series attempts to let the refugees take a step back into the past in the hope of emancipating both themselves and viewers from the conventional framework of concepts and categories," said Dilpreet. "The series is situated in crucial intersections of liberal economy and global identity, and opens up the space to ruminate upon the fragility of ideals in terms of inclusion, empathy and care." 

At ICAAD, we believe that the arts play a critical role in building solidarity, challenging harmful narratives and supporting key advocacy objectives. Thanks to your support, we are able to continue working with resident artists to promote a more equitable future. 

Watch this space for new virtual galleries coming soon!

Dilpreet Bhullar presenting at the Simurgh Center