{"product_id":"what-is-a-trade","title":"What Is a Trade?","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhat Is a Trade? Donald Fels and Signboard Painters of South India\u003c\/i\u003e presents sixteen large-scale paintings that explore trade and globalization in India. Fels' conceptual starting point for this exhibition was Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama's 1498 voyage to Malabar, India, in search of a direct sea route for the spice trade. What is a Trade? explores the historic and modern-day legacy of that expedition more than 500 years later.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 2004 and 2005, Fels traveled to Kerala (formerly Malabar), India, as a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar, to work with local commercial signboard painters on a body of work that examines globalization in India and traces its roots to Vasco's voyage. Most of the signboard painters had formerly worked as billboard painters -- until recently, all billboards in India were hand-painted, but cheaper and more efficient inkjet printers are making the painters obsolete. In light of this trend, Fels and his collaborators created work in the style of traditional hand-painted billboards and Bollywood advertising. The bright colors and strong graphic narratives make visually arresting statements about the historic and contemporary effects of trade and globalization.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Tacoma Art Museum","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54245570773336,"sku":"9780924335266","price":27.5,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9780924335266.jpg?v=1777752920","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/what-is-a-trade","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}