Abhijit Banerjee

Art Exhibition and Lecture on the history and future of handloom jamdani weaving by MIT Economist Abhijit Banerjee, Artist-Illustrator Cheyenne Olivier, and Woolmark Prizewinning Garment Designer Suket Dhir. The Exhibition will feature artworks in jamdani including a woven scroll and garments, and a video on jamdani weaving.

Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee is the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at MIT. In 2003, he co-founded the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) with Esther Duflo and Sendhil Mullainathan, and he remains one of the Lab’s Directors.

Banerjee is a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Econometric Society. He is a winner of the Infosys Prize and a co-recipient of the 2019 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, awarded for his groundbreaking work in development economics research.

Banerjee is the author of a large number of articles and six books, including Poor Economics, which won the Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year, Good Economics for Hard Times, both co-authored with Esther Duflo, and Cooking to Save Your Life. He is the editor of three more books and has directed two documentary films.

Banerjee has served on the U.N. Secretary-General’s High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. He is a trustee of Save the Children USA, a trustee of the British Museum, and the Chair of the Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel and the Global Advisory Board for Covid-19 Response of the government of West Bengal.

Cheyenne Olivier is a French illustrator. She graduated from the Estienne Arts and Design School in Paris and the Decorative Arts School in Strasbourg, where she earned an MFA in Illustration. Her images, characterized by their geometric and playful nature, often center around the visual representation of social and environmental issues. Notably, she collaborated with Nobel Prize-winning economist Esther Duflo on a series of ten picture books addressing poverty. Currently, she illustrates a monthly column on food and economics alongside Nobel Prize winner Abhijit Banerjee for the Times of India. Olivier has been honoured with the Young Talent Award at the International Comics Festival in Angoulême, as well as the regional Avenir Prize by the French National Crafts Institute. She is currently pursuing a PhD in children’s literature at the University of Tours and the Design School in Orléans. Her connection with India continues to deepen through her collaborations with Indian authors, artists, and readers, along with her active participation in numerous literary festivals and events.

Suket Dhir graduated from the National Institute of Fashion Design and achieved a successful association with Good Earth. The designer has garnered popularity for playful fabrics and attention to detail. His signature creations harmonise leisure and minimalism. Suket Dhir is known as the man of complexities. A former travel risk analyst, Sveltlana Dhir is the muse for the brand.

Part of the Spring 2025 Lecture Series. This event is presented as part of Artfinity: A celebration of creativity and community at MIT.