seedsewa
from the sanskrit root “sev,” meaning to serve, to adore, to honour: seed sewa is an expression of solidarity + collective care beyond borders, supporting Farmers kin's resistance of neoliberal, colonial erasures + exploitation. chardikala.

kombu daal setting (utensil + platter)


By amira chandni



About the Contributed Artwork
ceramic offerings created with the essence of daal+ saag + roti in mind, guiding the molding + sculpting process.

hand sculpted, hand glazed, hand sketched. 

platter ~ hand-sketched abstraction of ਸੇਵਾ (sewa, in gurmukhi script) on the front.
utensil ~ hand-sketched “kaaloji” on the back.

a utensil for kheer, for papaya... a utensil for thayee or humous. a setting for a spoon, 24 popped kernels of popcorn, adornments, leaves, marbles, frozen peas, 2 boiled eggs, melted candle wax, or nothing at all~ imperfect, like the rotis i attempted to make alongside gma. sculpted ... honouring the resilience, patience + unconditional love surrounding me while visiting gma + gpa, while eating daal made with fresh thunneah from the farm! 

About the Author
amira (she/they) is a punjabi-american sikh artist, model + editor whose work focuses on localized food systems and fibersheds, alternative textile development + restorative agriculture. she strives to center the stories of the land and the wisdom of the original stewards of the land we live, grow + love on as a means of countering systemic violence and silencing. she believes that fashion, land, multimedia art + food are inextricably related and utilizes her modeling work, arts practices + experience in the natural foods movement to bring narratives intertwining land, identity, fashion + food to the forefront. they organized seed sewa as a form of collective healing, resistance + revolution embodied by + emanating from this nurturing, borderless web of south asian diasporic artists. a small gesture of support to the nanis, papajis + Kin fighting against neoliberalism + colonialism + brahminacal patriarchal frameworks, amira tossed seeds of this sewa to hold space for + uplift farmer Kin who have not had access to the same resources, comfort + flexibility as she has, is vital to her work + to this project.
IG: amirachandni
IG: chandniamiradhanoa