Mahtab Hussain/Ikon Gallery – Going back home to where I came from

Clothbound Hardback, 144 pages, 241 x 292mm with gold embossing to cover and spine, uncoated printed endpapers and silk stock throughout.

Working with Mahtab Hussain and IKON gallery, Surely designed and produced this hardback first edition of 'Going back home to where I came from.' Echoing the way Urdu is read, from right to left, we suggested flipping the book to open from the left. The choice of green cloth and gold embossing refer to the colours of the Pakistani passport. 

In September 2016, Mahtab Hussain travelled to Kashmir in Pakistan; to the place where his parents had once called home. He was able to meet members of his family for the first time, including his great grandmother, and to witness the kind of life he may have lived, had history taken a different turn.

Alongside tintype portraits from Mahtab's residency on the IKON slow boat, with texts by Mahtab Hussain, Jonathan Watkins, Josiah McNeil and Frank Uekötter, this book presents a powerful and poetic reflection on ideas of home; of belonging and displacement. It also represents a deeply emotional personal journey of discovery and offers a revealing insight into the people and the landscapes of Kashmir.

Published by Ikon Gallery and supported by the British Council.