The personal archive of prominent Indian sculptor Mrinalini Mukherjee

The archive of Mrinalini Mukherjee (1949-2015) was launched on Asia Art Archive's website in 2022 after two years of research and digitisation over the pandemic. Watch the video to learn more about the archiving process, the feelings involved, and the impact of the archive.
The archive of Mrinalini Mukherjee documents the career of one of the most prominent modernist sculptors from India, who, beginning in the 1970s, challenged existing norms of sculptural practice, which was a predominantly male domain. Comprising over 2,380 records, the highlights include photo-documentation of art historical sites and traditional art forms; installation instructions and detailed documentation of her monumental sculptural works; papers such as correspondences, manuscripts, and photo-documentation relating to the art community in India; and a small but significant set of documents on her mother, sculptor Leela Mukherjee. The collection brings out interconnected art histories that ran through her life and practice-her personal and professional relationships with artists, writers, and curators; and her engagement with art institutions in various capacities.
An ongoing exhibition at AAA’s library in Hong Kong, “mould the wing to match the photograph”, features Mukherjee’s 1986 work "Pari", her extensive photo documentation, and research materials.
Browse the archive here: aaa.org.hk/en/collections/sea...
Learn more about the exhibition:
aaa.org.hk/en/programmes/prog...
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Video produced by Annette Jacob
Animation by Deepti Sharma
Edit support by Kopal Joshy
Special thanks to Helutrans and Pica Pica Media Limited
The Mrinalini Mukherjee Archive project was generously supported by the Mrinalini Mukherjee Foundation (MMF), Mumbai. Godrej Seeds and Genetics Ltd supported operations of the project.
“mould the wing to match the photograph” is generously supported by Mimi Brown & Alp Erçil, and Virginia & Wellington Yee. The Mrinalini Mukherjee Archive was made possible with the support of the Mrinalini Mukherjee Foundation. We would like to extend our gratitude to the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi, for loaning us Pari (1986) for this exhibition.