EDITIONS JOJO
Editions JOJO began as a self-publishing imprint in 2019 and has since developed into an artist-led platform for contemporary visual culture in India and at the centre of which is a public photobook library based in Mumbai. As an organisation, Editions JOJO has spearheaded & executed a wide range of projects and currently operates under multiple rubrics. The library regularly organises travelling pop-up reading rooms and curated shows around India and internationally. ‘The Lab’ is an interactive space for cultural production responding to visual culture in South Asia and building bridges from our region to the wider world through dialogue, exchange and pedagogy. Our programme include talks, workshops, lectures and other activities that help activate Editions JOJO’s library collection and engage in critical discussions from our region.
‘Glass Eye: A Podcast on South Asian Visual Culture’ is a podcast that talks to photographers, critics, publishers, educators and other professionals contributing to the evolution of contemporary visual culture, exploring the ways in which images shape our understanding of South Asia. Hosted by three visual artists - Adira Thekkuveettil, Akshay Mahajan & Kaamna Patel - it delves into the story of photographic practice in South Asia, exploring its unique concerns, vocabulary, and possible trajectories.
Season One will consist of five episodes. Each episode is centred around a primary interview with an artist/scholar/curator. The episode contextualises each conversation using secondary interviews conducted with other practitioners working in related areas and a mediated discussion with the three hosts. Season One’s primary interviewees now include Sabeena Gadihoke, curator and Professor at Jamia Millia Islamia, renowned Indian photographer Gauri Gill, Arif Furquan who is an Indonesian artist & researcher. Uzma Mohsin, photographer and researcher based in New Delhi, and Ishan Tankha, photojournalist and artist from New Delhi will feature in season 2. Our secondary interviewees include Tamil Nadu based artist Jaisingh Nageswaran, Nony Singh & Rajesh Vangad among others.
For a detailed example, Episode 1 centres an interview with Sabeena Gadihoke around her curated exhibition ‘Twin Sisters with Cameras’ (Kolkata, New Delhi 2022), which examines the lives and work of Debolina Majumder and Monobina Roy, female photographers working at a time of immense political and cultural shifts in mid-twentieth century India. To further contextualise the landscape encountered by female photographers in this time (also called Kodak Women), we bring in the voice of photographer Nony Singh – mother of renowned artist Dayanita Singh – whose acclaimed first book, The Archivist (2007) proved a pivotal juncture in the study of family photography, archives and female photographic practices in India. We combine these interviews with archival recordings of Debolina & Manobina speaking about their experiences of being ‘Kodak Women’, interwoven with narrations by the hosts. Our third episode interviews Gauri Gill & Rajesh Vangad, focusing on collaboration as practice and what Gauri calls active listening. Each episode is edited and designed by musician & music producer, Rahul Nadkarni & is accompanied by extensive show notes including links and further resources that listeners can access.
"The ASAP grant allowed us to publish the project by providing us the means to acquire resources for editing, sound design & travel funds during the production stage. We were also able to hire resources to help with creating & maintaining the website, online platforms & outreach through merchandise and Instagram communications. The podcast itself has a growing reach in India and also internationally, a direct impact of the grant and its support in bringing the project to fruition." - Editions JOJO
Listen to the Podcast here: Glass Eye: A Podcast on South Asian Visual Culture
Website: Editions JOJO
Social Media: Instagram
The photobook exhibition ‘Kaghazi Pairahan: Publishing & Resistance in South Asia’ was produced by JOJO and DoubleDummy opened alongside Les Rencontres d’Arles 2023 at the double dummy studio. The selection was curated by Akshay Mahajan & Devadeep Gupta and designed by Adira Thekkuveettil. Weaving stories and histories of resistance in South Asia, Kaghazi Pairahan is a travelling library of photobooks, dummies, artist books, zines, posters, digital publications, and pamphlets.
In 2021, CPB Learning Lab and Editions JOJO collaboratively organised a series of pop-up reading rooms across the country. As the Covid-19 lockdown slowly lifted, we invited our friends who share the love for the medium to join us by opening up their collections in their respective cities across India. Pictured here is a section of Editions JOJO’s pop-up during that week hosted by G5A in Mumbai, one of 9 cities that Papertrail was held in.
A zine making workshop in collaboration with Asia Art Archive and Goa Familia, an exhibition curated by Akshay Mahajan, at Serendipity Arts festival 2022. The workshop responds to the first Editions JOJO publication called ‘In Today’s News: Alpha Males & Women Power.’ After discussing briefly the history of appropriation in photography, participants are invited to work with images & texts in newspapers & magazines to construct their narratives in the form of a booklet.
Rohit Goel’s lecture ‘Intimate Photography in Times of Exposure’ at the JOJO library in Mumbai. The lecture was a fundraiser for the JOJO library in collaboration with BICAR.
