New Archive: Not Just Tapes
OPEN is pleased to announce a new archive: Not Just Tapes. NJT’s a set of over 600 Hindi-language VHS tapes from the 1990s – early 2000s. The tapes come from Not Just Snacks, a beloved Indian restaurant on Hope Street in Providence, RI. Local artist and educator Hannah Liongoren tipped OPEN off to their existence, and they were purchased from the restaurant in February 2026. The image above was taken in December of 2025.
Why purchase 600+ VHS tapes?
Their faded, multi-color pastel labels, arranged neatly in rows read like a lost Agnes Martin painting. Or maybe gene sequencing images? Or, as exactly what they are—beautiful rows of dust free vintage media in the basement of a local restaurant. It’s difficult to describe what it felt like seeing them in person. Just beautiful.
In addition to the movies they contain, the tapes invite us to think about diasporas, the importance of immigrant businesses in Providence, and about preservation, generally. They invite us to notice, learn, and share. They are not just tapes!
The team at Not Just Snacks even packed the tapes up for us! Above are a few of the boxes—all SWAD brand boxes that once held Toor Dal, Masoor Dal, Moong Dal, etc. Taken out of context, the stack reads less like a mung bean storage system and perhaps, more like sculpture? We think of Warhol’s Brillo Boxes, certain installations by Song Dong, those boxes Cory Arcangel displayed at the Whitney when his Plasma Screen Burns were on view, and locally, Dana Heng and Moy Chuong's amazing installation New Battambang Market (Providence Public Library, 2025). Easily one of our favorite exhibitions of the year in Providence.
As of March, we’re also pleased to announce that Not Just Tapes will be on view in some form at the Providence Public Library this summer. The show will be produced in partnership with Sandy Dahari, a Rhode Island-based video editor who grew up in New Jersey, spending hours and hours watching tapes like those found in the NJT archive.
