with the pulp

Vidhi Jethi 

With its inception in a family business, Okhla’s Pulp Studio was born out of  a shared love for paper and its prominence as an art medium. Vidhi Jethi, co-director  of this experiential space is here to colour outside the lines 

Tell us about your personal explorations with art and how it propelled you to start a gallery space?

Pulp Society was conceptualized by Vrinda Suneja, with Jiten Thukral, and Sumer Tagra, in late 2019. With the curation and guidance of Sitara Chowfla, Pulp Society opened their doors in January 2020, with the show ‘Imprint After’. We have a printmaking studio, and started programs like the Pulp Editions (the annual collaborative show between the studio and the gallery), and the Paper Residency.

Art and creativity has always been an essential part of our childhood. I pursued communication design  from The National Institute of Fashion Technology,  Delhi and went on to do my masters in Graphic Design from London while Palak is a Fashion design Graduate. Our journeys with Pulp started on a whim. When the gallery was resurrected in April 2022; getting Priyanshi Saxena as the new advisor, and curator;  the leadership was shifted to Palak Suneja, and Vidhi Suneja Jethi, keeping the leadership within the Sona Papers family, and the team ‘all womenʼ.

From admirers to co-directors, it's been a beautiful journey of learning on the job, falling and rising again.

Why paper? 

Pulp Society has grown out of the legacy of Sona Papers, which has a rich history of selling fine papers in Indian subcontinent and Middle East countries. Established in 1966, Sona has been a name of high repute for introducing new and innovative ranges in speciality papers to its customers.

Today, it takes pride in associating with the worldʼs leading paper mills and enjoying the sole distribution and marketing rights of the worldʼs finest papers in India & overseas markets.

Hence, our love for all things paper.

You host workshops for individuals through Pulp Studio. As adults we often have the element of 'play' missing from our lives. What have been your observations and learnings through these interactive workshops?

Participants from all walks of life and through various age groups usually come in for the workshops looking for an oasis, an oasis to escape from the everyday hustle and bustle. Theyʼre usually surprised by the potential of their own creativity and love the community spirit created through their artistic process.

Bhaane recently collaborated with you on some signature cyanotype prints for our A/W 23 collection. Talk us through the creative process and intention behind the art for this partnership.

The medium itself has a rich and ancient history. Cyanotype printmaking is an intricate process and being a printmaking studio it is always wonderful to create a composition of contemporary and ancient styles.

When the initial conversations started with Nimish, we were very excited to explore his initial idea of creating and playing with cyanotype prints of natural shadows created by a prism and a glass placed in the sunlight. The process helped us push our creative boundaries and explore a different surface. Now, looking back, with a glass as our muse, its transformation into a fashion garment makes us proud about this unique collaboration. Figuratively speaking, the artists and the Pulp Studio threw light upon the printmaking technique. 

A large intention of what you do is to draw in younger artists and collectors – how does your programming help bring them support and exposure?

As contemporary artists ourselves, we endeavor to continue pushing the boundaries of what art is, exploring all that paper can do, including sculptures, games, zines, and much more. We have also created a very approachable, anti white-cube gallery, where price lists are available via barcodes on the wall, and the audience is invited to ‘hang out’ at the gallery space.