Gauri Gill's 'Acts of Appearance' at MoMA PS1 explores mask rituals in rural India

Gauri Gill's exhibition 'Acts of Appearance' at MoMA PS1 in New York, running from 15 April to 3 September, features photographs from a collaboration with Adivasi residents in Jawhar district, Maharashtra, India. The series, begun in 2015, depicts everyday rural scenes where participants wear commissioned papier-mâché masks, drawing from local Bahora ritual traditions. Gill, a Delhi-based photographer, worked with about 20 people, including craftsmen brothers, to create masks that reflect wearers' lives, with imagery ranging from human faces to animals like cobras and elephants, and whimsical technology such as mobile phones. The images, characterized by rich afternoon light and purposeful stillness, blend humor and emotional depth, as seen in scenes like friends in bird masks holding hands or a woman in a snake mask reclining. The masks emphasize interiority while fostering sociality between Gill and her collaborators. The exhibition also includes selections from Gill's other recent series, highlighting her eye for intersecting patterns in landscapes. The works were reviewed in the Summer 2018 issue of ArtReview Asia by Thea Ballard.