Malaa Treon (b. 1963)

The British East India Company established initial settlement in 1612 at Surat, in Gujarat. In the mid-17th century, the European style coinage did not gain popularity and thus the British sent their bullion to the contemporary Mughal Emperor for minting coins. The official currency since the 15th century in India was paisa. Paisa is an Urdu term meaning money or cash, 'anna' was the currency unit in India. The term belonged to the Mughal monetary system. Soon after, the British superseded the Mughal reign in India, they decimalized the currency into rupaiya. The paisa was named naya paisa and nayarupaiya henceforth, respectively.

This artwork has a collection of the end of the anna series and the old paisa series during the British reign. The coins are of different alloys and denominations. An imaginative compilation by the artist shows an embedded document of this time adding to the display and value of this collage.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Malaa hails from Pune, Maharashtra where she has lived for the past 28 years. Born in Africa, she studied in Bangalore and thereafter pursued her textile designing from New Delhi. Subsequently, she completed her post graduation in London. Having written a thesis on texture for textiles, her carrier began in 1988. She began freelance hand painting on yardage from home amidst marriage and motherhood. She graduated to screen print co-ordinated accessories and furnishings on textiles. Painting and printing on natural silk fabrics has been her forte.

‘Art on Silk ’ has been a dream, which has grown in the mind of the artist and turned to reality by launching her fabric art. Her limited editions are created for the wall and wear as new aspiring ideas take birth.