Mansa Lamont Bey, Bhavani Srinivas, and Gina Washington
October 8–November 12, 2021
Zygote Press, Cleveland, Ohio
In his book of shaped prose, The Little Edges, Fred Moten offers fragmented compositions that reveal the inextricable interplay between sound and sight, tradition and experimentation, rhythm and silence. Falling through the little edges, culminating from a printmaking residency at Zygote Press, was a three-person show presenting Mansa Lamont Bey, Bhavani Srinivas, and Gina Washington’s prints alongside collaborative works: an altar and two fountains.
The altar and fountains grew out of shared interest in vibration and divine feminity. Visitors were greeted by a plaster and turmeric altar made by Srinivas that held votive ceramic women by Washington and crystals from Lamont Bey’s personal practice. Further into the space, two fountains made by Srinivas and painted by Lamont Bey, activated the space with Washington’s invitation for visitors to write on scraps saved by the artists during their printmaking processes. Once tossed into the fountains, the messages and wishes written by the visitors dissolved and dyed the water, the paper began to melt into pulp.
Copper, silk organza, lentils, rices, tamarind seeds, black pepper, fenugreek, cumin, black mustard seeds, palm sugar
18 x 24 x 1 in
I asked my mother, Ganga Srinivas, to write out her perspective on what defines Tamil cooking. She responded by drawing this map. Amma visualized the essential ingredients of பால் (pAl/milk), அரிசி (arici/uncooked rice), and பருப்பு (paruppu/lentils) as three spirals, with the important preparations of these ingredients listed along the curves. The spirals converge on the most fundamental meal of சாதம், பருப்பு, and நெய் (catam, puruppu, and ney/rice with lentils and clarified butter).