Banking on World Heritage

Banking on World Heritage is a new exhibition that will take place in New Delhi this summer to coincide with the year in which India will be hosting the G20 summit and also to mark the golden anniversary of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, the international treaty to conserve nature and preserve cultural properties.

Organised by independent researcher Rukmini Dahanukar, who specialises in graphic designs and visual imagery on money, the exhibition will be held at India Gandhi National Centre for Art (IGNCA) in New Delhi. It will open on 30 June 2023 and will remain open daily until 9 July.

For the first time, this exhibition will feature world heritage sites on banknotes across the 20 member states of the G20 in large format colour reproductions with unique connections of the ancient sites and their relevance to their nations. As India is head of the G20 captaincy for 2023, the exhibition will be attended by G20 representatives, including ambassadors and dignitaries, cultural ministry representatives, researchers, students, and the public to appreciate for the first-time banknote imagery showcasing heritage and shared culture in everyday lives.

Dahanukar’s quote – ‘Money is not merely a medium of exchange but a medium of communication’ - is the central idea of the exhibition. Banknotes primarily play an economic role, but they also make exciting artifacts, she said. Their true wealth lies in their socio-cultural, informative, educative, and community-building roles of uniting citizens with imagery, history, architecture, and heritage that binds and celebrates shared identities.

The exhibition will consider the usage and experience of everyday objects to communicate and present heritage from around the world that is accessible to everyone.

For more information, contact Rukmini at moneytalksonline@gmail.com