Interpreting India's master painters via traditional embroidery

An exhibition showcasing this aims to throw the spotlight on the richness of Indian thread work as an art form.

If you happen to be in Mumbai and love fashion, drop in for some learning on canvas. An exhibition - that brings traditional techniques of aari and zardozi techniques, satin stitch, phulkari, Kutch embroidery, kantha stitch and more onto the artistic platform - makes a point about how these must be saved. Entrepreneur Gayatri Khanna, an admirer of Indian thread work is behind this and she shares more.

The masterpiece 'Guardians in a Dystopic Garden' by Ranbir Kaleka was completed using cotton and silk thread techniques and 3D techniques (Milaaya Embroideries)

Huge potential

As a young graduate from Babson College, New York and post a stint with Saks Fifth Avenue, Gayatri Khanna knew she had to do more with Indian embroideries. "I saw that and all the and embellishments on the luxury womenswear and knew India had a huge potential to offer these at competitive pricing," says the entrepreneur who has since been presenting the fashion world in the West with Indian artisans.

There is a huge need to preserve Indian hand embroideries, believes Gayatri Khanna

As beautiful as they seem, back home the demand for the rich hand embroideries is on the decline she states, replaced with cost effective digital embroidery. "Our aim is to work on sustaining this dying craft by offering design solutions and innovations, training our artisans to elevate their skills and looking for newer avenues to promote hand embroideries," she explains.

Interpreting the masters via embroidery

One way Gayatri is highlighting this is via a new exhibition - Threaded Visions - that takes off in Mumbai tomorrow. She says, “This exhibition addresses the issues of sustainability and climate change through the work of modern and contemporary artists interpreted through Indian embroidery techniques. The selected works of the artists are embroidered by Milaaya Embroideries.”

She adds, "Our team studied their approach and aesthetic and created hand embroidery techniques that replicate the texture, the brush strokes, and the detail of the original artwork without losing the essence of the artist."

How the team worked to replicate the textures and brush stroke to stay true to the original artwork (Milaaya Embroideries)

The tryst between with fashion and art is not new, with successful collaborations between artists and fashion designers, whether its Schiaparelli and Salvador Dali or Louis Vuitton and Japanese artist Yayoyi Kusama. But Gayatri hopes her new effort will garner attention towards Indian thread work.

S.H. Raza's 'Surya Namaskar' where cotton and silk threads are used in myriad techniques to give each element a distinct visual appeal (Threaded Visions )

She says, "What is overwhelming to see is embroidery being accepted and appreciated as a medium to recreate the art by the artists, art collectors and art enthusiasts alike. With a needle and thread, the details, the depths and the textures of the original artworks have been captured giving them a new life."
The exhibition at Snowball Studios is on until April 6.