This unique exhibition in Mumbai explores how digital world shapes modern life

Artist Viraj Khanna has spent his life around art embroideries and textiles The 29yearoldrsquos first job was to look after the embroidery department of his family business in Kolkata Khanna would price different samples and discovered different embroidery techniques up close during this time Inspired Khanna a business administration graduate is now pursuing a Masterrsquos in Fine Arts at the Art Institute of ChicagoUntitled 2024 acrylic on fibreglassKhanna has had several solo and group exhibitions even acquisitions since 2021 and uses embroidery techniques and his love for collaging to present visual narratives of his interpretations of the world we live in Brain Rot The Life You Live is a curated series of sculptures and embroidered textile collages by Khanna that continues his satirical exploration of our digitally defined modern lifestyleThis is a very expensive jacket 2024 hand embroidery on textileBrain rot was Oxfordrsquos word of 2024 and Khanna quotes Newport Institute to define brain rot as a condition of mental fogginess lethargy reduced attention span and cognitive decline that results from an overabundance of screen time ldquoThis show is very personal Through this show I am thinking about how much social media influences us in different ways My works depict the multiple ways in which I navigate different platforms I am commenting on the perceptions we create through the images that we share on Instagram We depict a perfect life in a way and this is usually far from the truth Earlier social groups would be smaller and the comparisons would just be within those smaller groups and it wouldnrsquot affect us much We look at thousands of people together todayrdquo comments Khanna He rues that everyone including him knows that the overuse of social media is bad despite that we use it extensivelyViraj Khanna works in his studioldquoI cannot leave it because it is important for my career even though it always stresses me outrdquo says Khanna About his process Khannarsquos textile works are usually painted first or collaged at a smaller scale These images are then enlarged and Khanna makes a khakha or an embroidery blueprint out of it for embroidery Khanna loves the process of layering and experimenting with embroidery for art and works in collaboration with karigars to bring them to life The importance of the Indian craftsmanconnect comes from his earlier days in his family business and his mother acclaimed designer Anamika KhannaBut itrsquos not just textiles and embroideries for Khanna Brain Rot includes acrylic on fibreglass sculptures with a recurring outlandish face seen in Khannarsquos previous works too This leitmotif says Khanna was the first ever design he created and thatrsquos why itrsquos meaningful to him ldquoThese were designed using paper collages created from fashion magazines and other books My practice began with this sketch and I have been taking it forward since then Collaging is quite instinctive by itself and it reflects my aesthetic in a wayrdquo reveals KhannaSanjana Shah creative director of Tao Art Gallery says that Khannarsquos works are visually vibrant and attractive but once you spend some time the deeper concepts trigger introspection in the viewer ldquoThis duality is interesting While his art asks pertinent questions there is rarely anything heavy or judgemental about the presentation This balance makes his art enjoyable and perhaps also educationalrdquo says Shah about the artist who will make his solo debut in the USA this year with an exhibition at Rajiv Menon Contemporary in Los AngelesAt Tao Art Gallery 165 The View Dr Annie Besant Road WorliTill February 9 11 am to 7 pm Monday to Saturday 12 pm to 6 pm SundaysCall 24918585