Contemporary Art – Artsy

Curated by Tasneem Zakaria Mehta and Puja Vaish

Textile art is one of oldest form of human art. At its inception, textile was not focused on its looks but rather for its utility such as blankets to keep warm, clothes to cover oneself and so on. These goods were made from animal skin, fur, leaves and so on. Creating cloth and textile earlier was laborious since everything from spinning to weaving was done manually. However, the industrial revolution brought a massive change in the textile industry bringing in a lot of automation to assist in these tedious processes. Thus, began an endlessly journey of creativity where people began to express their thoughts using varied kinds of cloths and textile techniques.

One such beautiful show of textiles was showcased at the famous Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai. This exhibition showcases the work of 17 artists, whose artworks reference, complement and blend seamlessly with the existing textile collection at the museum. A melting pot of contemporary art was showcased using traces of textile practices and contemporary techniques. As a medium, textile always has its intrinsic meaning and context hidden. There is has been a close connect between cloth and culture. Textile defines this culture through the relationship between body, attire, selfhood, identities and fashion. Textile reminds us of our glorious past, be in the form of colonial trade or in the form of royal outfits of our Mughal emperors and queens.

Juxtaposed with the Museum’s textile collection, the exhibition re-looks at the narratives invoked through a range of artworks. It showcases many forms of artistic practice that have approached the process of art-making by engaging ‘craft’ and ‘traditional’ practices, to address contemporary concerns.

Participating Artists:
Anita Dube, Anju Dodiya, Archana Hande, Desmond Lazaro, Lavanya Mani, Manish Nai, Manisha Parekh, Monali Meher, Nilima Sheikh, Paula Sengupta, Priya Ravish Mehra, Pushpamala N, Rakhi Peswani, Reena Saini Kallat, Shakuntala Kulkarni, Sharmila Samant, Shezad Dawood

Some of the work showcased: