Updated On: 27 October, 2024 08:09 AM IST | Mumbai | Shweta Shiware
Curled and draped, concealed and revealed, what bedtime stories do Bhasha Chakrabarti’s quilts tell us?

Artist Bhasha Chakrabarti, known for her confessional style, invites viewers to uncover the layered stories within Kaghazi Hai Pairahan, a large paper quilt made from pulped pages of Ismat Chughtai’s 1944 short story Lihaaf (The Quilt); (right) Bhasha Chakrabarti turns a vintage tea towel into a canvas, painting a clear blue sky dotted with cumulus clouds in Ajaibghar (Todi). The piece also includes a foraged furniture item painted red with gold borders, while two brass candles rest on a drawer that plays a single-channel sound when opened
For an artist whom this writer has briefly met through a laptop screen, there’s a surprising amount of bed talk with Bhasha Chakrabarti.
When we look at paintings, we hope to uncover some secret—not about art, but about life itself. The quilts and their life-affirming moments invite this idea into the bedroom, where troubles arise and logic slips away. This theme lays the groundwork for Chakrabarti’s first solo exhibition at ExperimenterColaba, Mumbai, titled Karvat (on view until December 20), which includes a paper quilt, paintings, found furniture, brass, candles, and vintage linen kitchen towels.