Organised by EXC 2020, Research Area 2: "Travelling Matters" in collaboration with SAVVY Contemporary.

Moderated by Torsten Jost.

We invite you to join acclaimed novelist Saskya Jain and celebrated visual artist Bani Abidi for an intimate conversation on the shifting landscapes of identity, society and the self as they engage with the intricate layers in their work, hinting at what lies beneath.

Saskya Jain’s novels revolve around characters who are no longer primarily shaped by the conflicts and traumas of decolonisation but look at today’s politically polarised India through the lens of their very own modernity, made even more complex by economic shifts, which brings with it a new understanding of globality.

Recognised as one of Pakistan’s most important contemporary artists, Bani Abidi creates video and multimedia works that interweave autobiographical fiction, class politics, sociopolitical commentary and satire: "Her practice explores the sobering realities of the political and historical conditions of the Indian subcontinent through powerful and highly crafted dark humour, highlighting the absurdities that are its casualties." (S. Ansari)

Moderated by theatre and performance scholar Torsten Jost, Jain and Abidi will explore how their respective practices peel back layers of "polish" to reveal the complex realities within. Jain will read from her most recent novel and Abidi will show her video work. This promises to be an evening of storytelling that speaks to the hidden dimensions of identity profoundly entangled with the worlds we inhabit.

Bani Abidi is a Berlin-based Pakistani visual artist. She uses video and photography to comment on politics and culture, often through humorous and absurd vignettes. She has been showing internationally for the past twenty years.

Saskya Jain grew up in New Delhi. Her first novel, Fire Under Ash (2014), was shortlisted for the Shakti Bhatt Prize. Her second novel, Geeta Rahman at Championship Point (2021), was nominated for the Times of India AutHer Award and the Tata Literature Live Book of the Year Award. Her short stories and essays have been published internationally. She has taught creative writing and literature at Hong Kong University, Grinnell College and Dartmouth College. Currently, she is Dorothea Schlegel Artist in Residence at EXC 2020.

Torsten Jost holds a PhD in Theatre and Performance Studies and is the academic coordinator of the International Research Network of EXC 2020.