Dhaba (Maggie Argiro & Sanwal Deen)

Our current Artists-in-Residence, Sanwal Deen and Maggie Argiro, are the husband-wife artist collaborative Dhaba. Sanwal is a photographer from Islamabad, Pakistan and Maggie is a writer from Columbus, Ohio. They write: “A dhaba is a roadside restaurant often found along stretches of highway throughout the Punjab regions of India and Pakistan. The proprietors serve up local food and hot chai made from family-honed recipes, and the restaurants are often spaces for intellectual and artistic exchange among locals and travelers alike. One dhaba in particular, called Zenose, is the location of Sanwal’s happiest memory in which he and his extended family ate a fire-cooked meal late one rainy night. Like memories, the dhaba is resilient.” Maggie and Sanwal’s dhaba takes its shape in the form of a zine, which features Sanwal’s photography, Maggie’s writing, and work by guest contributors. They are recent awardees of a Grant for Artist Projects from Artist Trust.