An exhibition puts the spotlight on contemporary textiles showcasing the exquisite craftsmanship of the country’s artisans
A textile-based display by Ajit Das that will be showcased at the exhibition
The city’s latest exhibition titled Sutr Santati: Then. Now. Next., which opens next week at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), contextualises the future of Indian textile through collective and collaborative efforts. The expansive show offers a display of approximately 125 revivalist pieces and contemporary textiles created through hand weaving, embroidery, resist-dyeing, printing, painting, appliqué and forms of yarns and fabric manipulation, by nearly 200 textile artisans, revivalists, designers, craftspersons as well as NGOs. At the heart of a culturally rich India is heterogeneity, which this contemporary textile exhibition aptly spotlights.
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Ajrakh applique by Good Earth
The exhibition is presented by The Abheraj Baldota Foundation and curated by Lavina Baldota, who shares, “I’m always looking at a language which is new, appeals to the younger generation, and has global appeal. So, in that sense, the exhibition includes this innovation when it comes to materiality and design language.” After previous runs at the National Museum in New Delhi last year — the inaugural show that celebrated the occasion of India’s 75th year of Independence — and Melbourne Museum earlier this May, the show opens its third edition with 75 new works.
This includes textiles made from natural fibres and indigenous varieties such as kandu and kala cotton, mulberry and wild silks, camel and sheep wool, goat and yak hair, and unconventional materials like lotus, banana, and water hyacinth. Expect to see contributions by artists and designers including Renuka Reddy, Sarita Ganeriwala, Sumakshi Singh, Tarun Tahiliani, Parul Thacker, Manish Malhotra, Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, Ashdeen, Anamika Khanna and Gaurav Gupta; and organisations including Aadyam Handwoven by Manish Saksena, ASHA by Rahul Jain, Le Mark School and Bhavyata Foundation, Chanakya School of Craft by Karishma Swali, and Chitra Looms.
Gopika Nath, Thoughtnet III
Sharing her vision with participants who adhered to the show’s mandate, Baldota underlines the pillars that the exhibition rests on. She notes, “The craft and materiality had to be traditional to India. It had to be natural yarns or Azo-free dyes; ecological preservation is an important part of the exhibition. Another aspect was also to give credit to every artisan who has worked on the piece.” The show takes textile and fabric beyond our sentimentalities to spotlight the artisans working on every piece.
The exhibition progresses through the core idea of ‘Then. Now. Next.’ beginning at the revival works on languishing crafts and textiles of India, moving into indigenous crafts from across regions, the sacred, a section paying homage to nationalism and what that means to the artist. It finally moves to the contemporary section that showcases the future of Indian textile at the innovative hands of designers and artisans. Baldota reveals, “The interesting part is that we have a huge section of studio artists who showcase textiles beyond attire, blurring the [line between] art and craft.”
Lavina Baldota
She continues, “The reason we exhibit in museums is because I’m hoping for the exhibition to be a form of public art, to create awareness especially among students and the younger generation about the rich heritage of India, and for them to use it as a space of learning.”
From: November 21 to January 7, 2024; 11 am to 6 pm (Tuesday to Friday) and 11 am to 8 pm (Saturday and Sunday)
At: NGMA, Sir Cowasji Jehangir Public Hall, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Fort.
Log on to: @santati_then_now_next
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