Recreating covers of books banned through history

In his new series, Rohit Chawla shows how the subject of banned books is relevant in the context of cancel culture

- Avantika Bhuyan

The history of the written word has long been intertwined with that of censorship. Whenever authors have chosen an idea which seems even slightly provocative for the times, they have faced a backlash from religious, political and legal authorities. It is to emphasise the kind of censorship authors and books face these days that Goa-based photographer Rohit Chawla has recreated covers of banned books for his recent project.

The subject of banned books is a layered one. First, there is the content of the book in itself, and added to that is the layer of censorship, which makes the book even more significant as a symbol of resistance.

For Chawla, books and publications have been central to his practice. "I have done about 400 covers for important news magazines and books. The subject of banned books is particularly relevant today, given the 'cancel culture' that threatens our daily social discourse," says Chawla, who debuted the series at a recent art exposition at the India Habitat Centre in Delhi, after which the series moved to the Stir Gallery in Chhattarpur Farms. The recreated book covers will travel to numerous literature festivals in the coming months.