With a focus on craftsmen and weavers, NGMA in Bengaluru has a curated version of the iconic exhibition in operation since the 1980s
With a focus on craftsmen and weavers, NGMA in Bengaluru has a curated version of the iconic exhibition in operation since the 1980s
In 1982, India started an ambitious ‘Festival of India’ at the Royal College of Art in the UK, highlighting Indian textiles and crafts. The following year, in 1983, Pupul Jayakar, the then cultural zarina, and his disciple, Martand Singh (both members of the organizing committee), brought the exhibition to New Delhi. Titled ‘Vishwakarma’ after the god of crafts, it included most of the 280 works originally sent to the UK. “India had never seen anything like it,” says Geeta Ram, a Chennai-based textile specialist. “He pushed the limits of what was possible; It was a renaissance, a renaissance for Indian textiles.”
What was cool (if you are from Tamil Nadu) 50% of the ‘Vishwakarma’ exhibition was dedicated to ‘pudu pavu’, or the textiles and weaving of the state. The rest includes the rest of the country. Gallerist and curator Sharan Apparao recalls that he bought “a beautiful Siklanayakanpet sari from Pudu Pavu” and a kanjeevaram made by master weaver Krishnamurthy. He also owns the paintings created by Adimoolam for this “pioneer project”.
In the light of history, what was the trickle-down effect of ‘Vishvakarma’ and its creators Jayakar and Singh? Well, it depends on who you ask. “They looked at artisan products, but did not accept artisans,” says Ujramma, a Hyderabad-based textile specialist.
Susan Thomas (in white sari) with bird tapestry and pitambari yellow Paithani
, photo credit: Sanjeev CM
Raising Fabric in Art
a new exhibition in National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) attempts to correct this perception in Bengaluru. It is focusing on craftsmen and weavers, and taking their creations into the realm of art. title ‘Vignette: Vishwakarma Clothing: Art and Artistry‘, the exhibition is a collaboration between the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and NGMA.
“We were thinking of ways to celebrate our silver jubilee year” [2022] And respect the creation of NIFT,” says Susan Thomas, Director, NIFT, whose brainchild it is. “Therefore, we selected 25 works from the original ‘Vishvakarma’ exhibition with the intention to see them as works of art for who they are. The focus was on pieces that have an interdisciplinary character.”
It was a year-long exercise. The original textiles are spread across museums and weavers’ service centers (established by Jayakar in the 1950s), mostly in Delhi and Mumbai. Thomas and his team made several trips to the metropolis, after which the selection was reduced to 25. Thomas talks with his team about sitting on the floor to fit certain fabrics into the space because you can’t run them through sewing machines.
One of the demonstrations at the NGMA – the bulls were built with their bodies in the form of a flat wash and the horns delicately painted with a brush. photo credit: Sanjeev CM
Such exhibitions have been held in the past, including an exhibition at the Crafts Museum in Delhi in 2018. But what makes NIFT’s curation special is the thematic presentation: one that embraces geometry and nature and inspires us to look at weaving as an art form. Furthermore, weavers’ service centers are (and always have been) the unsung heroes in the conversation around weavers. The ‘vignette’ seeks to highlight the splendid work of ‘Vishvakarma’ that centers around contrasting personalities, says Thomas.
All the performances are stunning, and some change the paradigm of what’s possible with knitting. one is cute Paithani in yellow pitambari color, a Morkuti Pichwai Whose name is derived from Vraj village where Krishna is said to have danced like a peacock for Radha. There are also freehand ready-made garments and fine Kalamkari, The Piece de Résistance is a massive tapestry that is a tribute to the late bird man of India, Salim Ali. This is a woven representation of the many birds depicted in their book of indian birds,
chasing goosebumps
The mapping and documenting of Indian crafts began with Jayakar and social reformer Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay. His writings on Indian crafts were path-breaking, given that we are a mostly oral culture. In 1976, Chattopadhyay wrote the book, glory of indian handicraftsAfter clay drum by Jayakar in 1980, which focused on rural customs. Later, Rata Kapoor Chishti and Martand Singh traveled the length and breadth of India to document their textile traditions. It all came together in the form of ‘Vishvakarma’ performance.
A narrative rendering of Buddha’s stories Kalamkari
, photo credit: Sanjeev CM
The name comes from an influential paper by scholar Ananda Kentish Muthu Kumaraswamy in his book, The Indian Craftsman, published in 1909, and his later essay collection, The Dance of Shiva, published in 1918. In his essays, Kumaraswamy shares what every Indian is a weaver or artisan’s understanding: “The Indian craftsman conceives of his art not as the accumulated skill of the ages, but as arising from the divine skill of Vishwakarma and manifested by him.” It happens.” This is in stark contrast to the Western mind, which elevates human creators, and also in opposition to today’s celebrity culture which promotes individuals rather than their art.
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Whether you look at weavers as producers or mediums, NGMA’s creations automatically grab everyone’s attention. Catch the art of master craftsman Kailasam Kalamkari Works and a variety of block-print designs that are documented on the fabric. In Indian aesthetics it is said that when play boys face and enjoy the art, they experience’ roma-harsha‘ (goosebumps). This exhibition offers many such experiences.
The Vignette: Vishwakarma Textiles: Art and Artistry Exhibition continues till 17th September at NGMA Bengaluru.
The author is a Bengaluru-based journalist and writer.