Evelyne Raje
Experience 7
2026
Chaï
When I return to India, what I look forward to most is having a masala tea, or chai, served on the street. The piping-hot tea has a mellow flavour, with notes of milk, sugar and cardamom.
For this series of drawings, I wanted to explore black ink and its simplicity. I made my own from gallnuts – small balls formed by oak trees to protect themselves from parasites. The use of this ink dates back to antiquity.
The gallnuts come from the Monastery of Sainte-Claire in France, a place of silence and contemplation to which I am particularly grateful.
The drawings are painted on jute, a humble material native to India.
For this series of drawings, I wanted to explore black ink and its simplicity. I made my own from gallnuts – small balls formed by oak trees to protect themselves from parasites. The use of this ink dates back to antiquity.
The gallnuts come from the Monastery of Sainte-Claire in France, a place of silence and contemplation to which I am particularly grateful.
The drawings are painted on jute, a humble material native to India.
Experience 6
2022
Blessing to Palazzo
At dawn,in October,I performed a collection of Indian rituals from my childhood to provide protection to my workspace, Palazzo.
Click here to read the full performance transcript in French.
Click here to read the full performance transcript in French.
Experience 5
2022
Making kolams
In South India, every morning, most women practice the art of kolam. They wash the floor in front of their home and trace a protective drawing for the new coming day.
This ritual was lost during the emigration of my mother to France. I decided to reconnect with it and document the process.
This ritual was lost during the emigration of my mother to France. I decided to reconnect with it and document the process.
Experience 4
2022 - ongoing
Finding my
Indian name
This
performance originated from a desire to find back my Indian family name, which
was replaced by a French name several generations ago, due to the colonization
of Pondicherry by France.
This name has not managed to be transmitted orally in my family history, but it has left room for many legends.
This investigation, which is still in progress, allows me to reconnect with my individual history as well as a collective history. Going through the colonial archives, I search for my ancestor’s name, among the thousands of names meticulously listed.
This name has not managed to be transmitted orally in my family history, but it has left room for many legends.
This investigation, which is still in progress, allows me to reconnect with my individual history as well as a collective history. Going through the colonial archives, I search for my ancestor’s name, among the thousands of names meticulously listed.
Experience 3
2021
Decolonize English tea
How to
make English tea with local resources and question its
colonial heritage?
I collected grass in England and followed the steps of preparing English tea using this grass.
The consumption of tea is closely linked to the history of British colonization in India through the trade of the East India Company. This translates today into a great disparity between the profits generated by the leaders of the tea industry, and the working conditions in the producing countries (India and China).
This performance is part of a series that questions the colonial heritage which persists over time and generations in Europe, through food and gestures.
I collected grass in England and followed the steps of preparing English tea using this grass.
The consumption of tea is closely linked to the history of British colonization in India through the trade of the East India Company. This translates today into a great disparity between the profits generated by the leaders of the tea industry, and the working conditions in the producing countries (India and China).
This performance is part of a series that questions the colonial heritage which persists over time and generations in Europe, through food and gestures.