From our walk yesterday: Frederik’s Church with its spectacular dome; the Royal Danish Playhouse – one of Copenhagen’s most modern buildings, a mix of brick, glass and stainless steel; and finally Nyhavn – the colorful buildings and beautiful harbor that define Copenhagen. The sun was setting by then and the light was pure gold.
Kastellet – a star-shaped fortress that was once part of the city’s defense system and is now famous for its bright red barracks; the Little Mermaid – a bronze statue commissioned by Carl Jacobsen in 1913 that’s become a symbol of the city; the Gefion Fountain – it depicts the Norse goddess Gefjon who plowed the Danish island of Zealand out of Sweden, according to legend, and transformed her own sons into oxen; Amalienborg Palace – where the Danish royal family resides today (we saw the changing of the guard); more in next post.
Today we woke up late (jet lag), had lunch at Mevlana’s and then did this wonderful self-guided tour. We walked a lot. A lot. Here’s where we went: Rosenborg Castle (1600s) and its gardens (known as Kongens Have) – stunning public space where we saw a statue of Hans Christian Andersen; Nyboder – yellow barracks once the homes of Danish sailors and their families, now inhabited by regular folx; more in next post.
hello from norrebro, in copenhagen, where the sun is shining and the love for palestine is everywhere <3
for the wedding i wore my mom’s french chiffon sari.
photograph by our daughter <3
why south asian weddings are the best! so much love, loud music, nonstop dancing, and good food at mehndis. a lot of the songs and colorful rituals come from the beautiful province of punjab, the land of five rivers, which extends beyond and across the pakistan-india border and for centuries has been the center of music, literature, art, and sufism. nothing sets the tone of a wedding better than the double-headed dhol or noisy drums that signal the arrival of the groom’s family.
ran into missy by chance this morning as she was picking up coffees for herself and her husband at the village bakery. another serendipitous meeting in roc, and then a vibrant discussion with my fam (rajesh and muna) about activism and palestine. got interrupted by a white lady sitting nearby who tried to police our convo and left in a huff. white fragility and tears are the flip side of white privilege, trust me. should write more about this.
in rochester for a wedding and oh, how beautiful it is here. not as hot as on long island, with gorgeous blue skies and greenery so abundant it takes one’s breath away. a walk in cobbs hill park, dinner at sinbad’s, and best of all randomly running into our friend johannes as he was taking a turn on his bike – what are the chances, right? only in roc.
friday june 14th in new orleans: started the day with a big breakfast at who dat cafe – had many brunches there back in feb. best biscuits and homemade jellies. arrived at cafe istanbul a bit late – apparently there is another ‘istanbul cafe’ on royal st and that’s the address i gave uber by mistake. so went on a longish car ride just to loop back to where i started. attended ‘collage & poetry’ followed by ‘time & fragmentation: collage theories.’ clive knights’ presentation intrigued me as i’ve been thinking about fragmentation in the context of war and its impact on the social/ political/ individual body. met the wonderful jenny veninga, a fellow activist and scholar, who shared other brilliant ideas with me. attended ‘getting organized: collage projects’ and then after a quick lunch at st. roch market, was inspired by ‘take me to the water: a baptism in collage,’ a workshop with the amazing lavonna varnado-brown, who talked about claudia rankine’s book ‘citizen’ and the idea of the body having memory – a major inspiration for my work. watch ‘the body has memory’ a video poem i created in 2022 and for which i won best in show at a juried exhibition organized by the huntington arts council in ny. link in comments 
ended the day with collage & kiki, at the john thompson legacy center, hosted by lavonna varnado brown and jennella young. created collages with other artists and spent a lovely evening. so thankful to kolaj institute for creating this wonderful space at the intersection of art, activism, and academic research. hope to make this an annual ritual inshallah.
attended a panel discussion with artists ryann sterling, ashley teamer, and soraya jean louis moderated by artist and scholar kristina kay robinson. i was nodding vigorously the entire time. here are some things i loved. from soraya jean louis, the idea that POCs are an abstraction – something that cannot be fully encapsulated by the white gaze – but also something which is labeled in v concrete ways. she talked about how cutting/ deconstructing anatomy is not a european practice (picasso learned from egyptian paintings and stylized african representations of the human figure). it is a way for fragmented people to reconstitute/ reassemble themselves. ashley teamer explained how time is not linear in collage, but localized, a collection of moments. it can be stretched or elongated. also compared collage to DJ-ing. collage is broken because that’s the art form, just like scratching records (a blasphemy) is what DJs do because that is their art. finally, i learned about mother catherine seals and the temple of the innocent blood, as well as poverty point (centuries ago, when stonehenge was built and queen nefertiti ruled egypt, indigenous people were building earthen monuments in north louisiana). incredible.
my day today: decided to walk to alma cafe (contemporary honduran cuisine) for brunch and walked about 30 minutes in hot nola weather (thank god i didn’t pass out). ordered some baleada sencilla – eggs, refried beans, cream, queso fresco, and avocado served on a homemade flour tortilla. the tortilla was splendid but too much parmesan on top – too salty for me. a slight detour to get a slice of blueberry and marzipan tart at petite clouet cafe. a short trip to lucullus antiques – nothing interesting and too pricey. in the afternoon a meet and greet for all the collage folx at artisan cafe and bar. i met some lovely artists from nyc, chicago, maine, new hampshire, portland, nebraska, etc. finally, a kolaj fest panel discussion at the new orleans museum of art. more about that in next post.
a beautiful evening spent with the brilliant madera who cooked me a lovely meal and welcomed me into her stunning home. madera’s work and passion revolve around recycling, conserving water and energy, transforming trash into beauty, crafting as a tribute to our grandmothers, and living lightly and kindly on this planet. i learn so much from her. what an amazing human!
in new orleans where it’s 90 F and humid! not a fan of heat but thrilled to be back 🙂
I will be screening ‘Return to Sender: Women of Color in Colonial Postcards & the Politics of Representation’ and giving a talk at the New Orleans Museum of Art on Thursday, June 13th, 3:15-4:15 pm, as part of Kolaj Fest organized by the Kolaj Institute. New Orleans friends, pls join the discussion and come and say hello.
More details here.
a full day in rochester yesterday before i drove back home: with kate, carol and laura at spot coffee, some gupshup and tea with shahida, and finally a splendid home-cooked afghan dinner with the beautiful marzia and fatima <3
