Jaggery, clay and other Mughal traditions that inspired Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award winner Hannan Arshad

Indian artist's Safekeeping Stories will be revealed at Abu Dhabi Art in November

The Bara Imambara mosque complex in Lucknow was one of the sites that inspired Hannan Arshad's 'safekeeping' installation. Getty Images

For Hannan Arshad, the journey towards the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award has been a rediscovery of her heritage.

It was a 2021 visit to her family's hometown in Rampur in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh that shaped Safekeeping Stories, Arshad's winning installation that will be revealed at Abu Dhabi Art in November.

The installation will be assembled like a library, with each brick etched with the artist’s take of miniature Mughal paintings. Viewers will be able to extract the bricks much like they would a book from a shelf.

“It started off by referencing original miniatures from the Mughal era,” Arshad tells The National. “They were basically biographies of the rulers and they’d have images. But now I’m making my own.”

Growing up, Arshad says her exposure to her hometown was limited. She had heard of its princely reputation and of its illustrious Mughal history, but for years, that legacy was represented merely by various objects in her home in the UAE – particularly the copper-tin-coated cups that are an example of the Rampur tradition of qalai.

That changed in 2021 when, right before enrolling in the graphic design programme at American University of Sharjah, Arshad travelled to Rampur, her visit culminating with in-depth access to the town’s famous Raza Library.

The institution was established in the 18th century by Nawab Faizullah Khan and later expanded by the successive nawabs of Rampur. Architecturally, the library is a striking fusion of Mughal, Indo-Islamic and colonial styles – with grand arches, domes, as well as intricate carvings and latticework. What’s inside is even more awe-inspiring. The library houses one of the world’s richest collections of Indo-Islamic manuscripts, books, miniatures and calligraphy.

The architecture of Raza Library in Rampur is at once grandiose and ornate. AFP

“I got to see all of it – the Mughal manuscripts, the Nawab’s archives and the way they preserved paper,” Arshad says. “That piqued my interest. It stayed with me, it helped see what my culture is.”

Raza Library may be a spiritual springboard for Safekeeping Stories, but Arshad cites another important structure as the inspiration for its construction. It is also, perhaps, where the “safekeeping” aspect of the project stems from.

“In 2024, I got to see Bara Imambara,” Arshad says of the mosque complex in Lucknow, also in Uttar Pradesh state. The complex was built in the late 18th century and is a stunning example of Mughal engineering and architecture. The Imambara’s design mixes Mughal and Persian aesthetics, with arched doorways, high ceilings and detailed ornamentation. It comprises Asfi Mosque, a maze known as the Bhul-bhulaiya, and a stepwell or baoli.

The complex, Arshad says, took her “breath away”, but it was the actual building materials that captivated her most and laid the seeds for her project.

Artist and graphic designer Hannan Arshad, winner of this year's Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award, lives in the UAE. Photo: Admaf

“When the tour guide started explaining how it was built, he mentioned edible materials,” Arshad says. “They used white lentils to make the mortar in the walls, as well as a fruit used as a natural glue, as well as jaggery and lime.”

Arshad employs a similar approach in Safekeeping Stories. The installation will be made up of flat, thin, red-clay Lakhori bricks that were a mainstay in Mughal architecture. “I use natural clay from Fujairah for the bricks,” Arshad says. “Lakhori bricks are made with fired clay. They’re only 1.9 centimetres thick, and 10 by 15 centimetres in dimension. They’re tiny, like a book or diary.”

The bricks, however, will be bound by a mortar similar to that used at Bara Imambara. The mortar will also be made out of “edible” materials: “I’m using lime, bael fruit and jaggery,” Arshad says.

The use of these materials is not merely out of nostalgic appreciation for Mughal-era construction.

Lakhori bricks have been deemed obsolete, except in the case of restoration and preservation projects. They were used up to the 20th century, until the British colonisation of India and the widespread use of concrete. However, the bricks are worth protecting and reconsidering in the modern era – especially as we begin exploring more sustainable forms of construction.

Part of Arshad's aim is to preserve clay bricks and other sustainable Mughal construction techniques. Getty Images

“The focus is on safekeeping the Mughal ways by archiving Lakhori bricks,” Arshad says. “Our older ways were far more sustainable. Today, we’re using modern concrete that releases harmful gases, as opposed to clay bricks and their sustainable properties.”

Arshad developed an earlier version of Safekeeping Stories as part of her senior project at AUS with assistant professor Amparo Baquerizas. It has since expanded to include larger references to Mughal architecture and history, while also reimagining the installation as an interactive and participatory work. Arshad is working to develop the project under the mentorship of Christianna Bonin, assistant professor at the university’s College of Architecture, Art and Design.

“We're using newer references, new research to make the current structure,” Arshad says. “[Bonin] has so much experience with art history, and her research expertise is very valuable.”

The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award ceremony has been held annually since 2013 in honour of the eponymous late art couple. The award is open to UAE students and recent graduates, and serves as a launchpad for artists across the country.

It was established under the patronage of Sheikha Shamsa bint Hamdan Al Nahyan. It is presented by NYU Abu Dhabi in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (Admaf), and produced in collaboration with NYUAD Art Gallery.