Twelve new artists and a social entrepreneur team up to create art on dinner plates, in an effort to solve the hunger problem of the pandemic
Daughters by Pavan Rajurkar
What's a plate? The flat, circular dish means different things to different people. For the indigent, it's a stark reminder of the everyday struggle for food. For those who live a life of plenty, it probably represents the wide variety of meals they get to enjoy, daily. A new initiative, The Plated Project, hopes to bridge the gap between the have and have-nots, one plate at a time. The brainchild of Chitresh Sinha, the project first kicked off last November with artists collaborating with his team to print their designs on plates. "At the time, we held pop-ups and intimate get-togethers, where we got people to come together for a conversation over a meal, and would then raise awareness about hunger. By the end of it, they could contribute to the cause by buying a plate. The proceeds were used to feed the hungry," says Sinha, founder and chief ideator.
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Living windows by Aashti Miller
With the pandemic, and the subsequent lockdown in March, the issue of hunger got graver. Over 140 million people had lost their jobs overnight, says Sinha, and the plight of the migrant workers was disturbing. "That's when we decided to do something that would directly help the migrants. We reached out to new artists from across the globe, and asked if they would create artworks that signified hope. And while we did intend to give them royalty for every plate sold, all 12 who contributed their designs, donated their earnings to charity."
The colour of chillies by Roshan Gawand
The artworks are vivid, bold and dreamy. Some are also a poignant reflection of our times, like Aashti Miller's Living windows—confined in our homes, observing the windows and balconies of our neighbours, peeping voyeuristically into their day-to-day happenings, and sharing in their anxieties has now become commonplace. Every plate sold (R1,999), helps feed 60 people, assures Sinha. The team has raised R10 lakh to date and sponsored 2.75 lakh meals.
https://www.theplatedproject.com/
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