The Ganjifa Exhibition
An exhibition on the traditional playing cards of India
An exhibition on the traditional playing cards of India
To celebrate their 25th anniversary, Sasha, a not-for-profit marketing organization for craftspeople and producers from all over India, organised a 3 day event at Swabhumi, Kolkata. The brief was to design an exhibition, showcasing the collections and research of Vasudha Joshi, who had received a grant from the IFA to research the Ganjifa, the traditional playing cards of India. Working closely with Vasudha, an exhibition was designed for the Sabhaghar (hall) at Swabhumi, Kolkata.
The scope of work involved concept design to the final execution of the exhibition. Supplemental research and documentation through photographs was taken up keeping in mind the design concept for the exhibition. Apart from showcasing the research and collections’ of Vasudha, the exhibition also had a live component where an artist demonstrated the craft as well as the rules of play. Shri Kishor Gordhandas, who holds a record for having the largest collection of Ganjifa cards in the world, gave an introductory talk on the cards while displaying some from his personal collection.
Below are some images of the exhibition.
Some of the panels designed for the exhibition.
Photo documentation of the process by which the cards are made.
These images were taken in Bishnupur, near Kolkata
On the left, Bansari Foujdar, one of the craftsman, demonstrates his technique.
On the right, Shri Kishor Gordhandas, displays some sets from his collection.
