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A black and white illustration across two pages of an open book. Figures walk through a dense forest of patterned trees, with animals and birds perched in the branches. Below the drawing, two columns of text describe the daily work of gathering water and firewood.

Indian folk artist Teju Behun's visual autobiography is a real treat

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Date
18 February 2013

We don’t feature too much creative work from India but we were absolutely blown away by this sumptuous book Drawing From The City. It’s a visual autobiography of Teju Behun, a folk artist and performer whose gorgeous, intricate illustrations chart her journey from her childhood, through her marriage and life as a wandering musician to meditations on cars, planes and bicycles. Silkscreen printed by hand, the sheer quality of the book as an object means you want to pore over each page for hours, submitting to the skilful worlds she creates which soar above the simple, poetic prose.

The next time I hear a cocksure “print is dead” peddler I am going to track them down and make them read this book, which creates the kind of experience a Kindle can only dream of.

An illustration on an orange background featuring several stylised figures and large, textured circular shapes. A dark blue circle contains the handwritten text “drawing from the city” and the name “Tejubenham”.
Above

Teju Behun: Drawing From The City

An illustration across two open book pages shows several stylised figures with large, textured circular heads. The figures float in various directions across a patterned background, accompanied by small birds. Text at the bottom reads, “But even in the plane, my women are not content to sit still.”
Above

Teju Behun: Drawing From The City

An illustration from a book showing a figure with multiple arms riding a tiger through a landscape of patterned trees. Two people stand on either side, watching the figure pass. Below the drawing, two columns of text describe a village goddess and a father who sings for a living.
Above

Teju Behun: Drawing From The City

An illustration across two open book pages shows twelve stylised cars arranged in four rows. Each car is filled with intricate black and white patterns and contains two small figures. Text at the bottom reads “I like cars.” and “I want to be both those women.”
Above

Teju Behun: Drawing From The City

A person wearing a bright yellow sari and glasses draws a detailed ink illustration on a white page. They wear multiple stacked bangles and rings on their fingers.
Above

Teju Behun at work

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About the Author

Rob Alderson

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Rob Alderson is a freelance writer, editor and strategist. He was previously editor-in-chief of It’s Nice That and WePresent, and editor of Design Week. He publishes the newsletter Undo, which tries to make sense of how AI is changing design work, the design process and the design industry.

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