Mūḷ Māthī; FROM THE ROOTS
Image courtesy of Gupta Niveditaa
A new exhibition presented by the Asia Society India Centre by artists Manu and Madhvi Parekh Mūḷ Māthī; From The Roots, has just opened in Mumbai. The exhibition is a celebration of the work of these contemporary Indian artists featuring monumental textile interpretations of their painted artworks, created in partnership with the Chanakya atelier and originally commissioned by Dior, as part of Chanakya and Dior’s month-long celebration of Indian material culture, crafts and textiles – kicked off with the couture houses’ Fall/Winter 2023 presentation against a monumental textile backdrop at the Gateway of India. The Chanakya Ateliers are also showcasing a 30-year retrospective fashion exhibition of their collaboration with Dior, on view until 10 April.
Image courtesy of Gupta Niveditaa
Curated by Asia Society India Centre, Mūḷ Māthī; From The Roots is a showcase of 22 large-scale textile artworks by award-winning Indian Artists Madhvi and Manu Parekh in collaboration with Karishma Swali and the Chanakya Craft Collective. Curated as a postscript to an original commission by Maria Grazia Chiuri for the scenography of her Dior Couture spring-summer 2022 runway show, the exhibition presents 22 textile artworks, along with archival material, in an Indian context and for Indian audiences for the first time. The exhibition is an homage to the Parekhs, whose practices have a long-standing relationship with vernacular artistic traditions, an ode to the legacies of embroidery- work and textiles; a critical reflection on the possibilities of collaborations and patronage in the preservation and sustainability of craft-based artistic work.
Image courtesy of Gupta Niveditaa
This exceptional series of artworks was created by 320 artisans from the Chanakya Ateliers as well as female artisans from the Chanakya School of Craft, a non-profit school dedicated to craft, culture, and women's expression, who partnered together for more than three months to embroider 340 square meters (3,600 square feet) of work entirely by hand. The resulting interpretations become new works in their own right, poised between quotation, stylistic exercise, and interpretation, reactivated by the gesture of craft using the language of embroidery."'mūḷ māthī / from the roots is a testament to the shared values of Asia Society, Chanakya and Dior in promoting cross-cultural collaboration towards the continuity and promotion of Indian crafts. It also forces critical reflection on the possibilities that these collaborations and patronage open up for the preservation and sustainability of craft-based art. We are excited to showcase these unique works and highlight the multidisciplinary and collaborative processes that have been instrumental in their creation,” said Inakshi Sobti, Chief Executive Officer of Asia Society India Centre.
Image courtesy of Gupta Niveditaa
The works compose a retrospective of a duo’s art, reinterpreted in textiles by the Chanakya Craft Collective using contemporary variations of traditional hand embroidery techniques such as sfumato, couching and zardozi, innovating through craft to capture the intense colors and bold brushstrokes of Manu and Madhvi’s paintings. This language becomes a true conceptual act, entrusted, in particular, to the savoir-faire of Chanakya’s embroiderers.
The works of Mūḷ Māthī depict traditional Indian motifs and spiritual abstractions that celebrate the dichotomy between male and female, real and surreal, action and stillness. Honored with the National Award from Lalit Kala Akademi in 1979, Madhvi Parekh’s art is the confluence of modernism and traditional Indian craft patterns. A laureate of the Indian Government’s prestigious Padma Shri (1992), Manu Parekh constantly invites viewers of his work to travel through mental landscapes and spiritual abstractions, with a relentless commitment that makes him one of the most singular voices in contemporary Indian art. Madhvi Parekh and Manu Parekh’s relationship is rooted in an aligned vision with Chanakya, Karishma Swali Asia Society, and Maria Grazia Chiuri to preserve and revive global crafts through education and innovation. Mūḷ Māthī sets aside the assumed hierarchies of fashion and art to declare the immense potential of Indian craft.
Image courtesy of Gupta Niveditaa
For a list of public programming associated with Mūḷ Māthī, including weekly public walkthroughs, please visit: asiasociety.org/india/exhibitions/mul mathi-roots
A new exhibition presented by the Asia Society India Centre by artists Manu and Madhvi Parekh Mūḷ Māthī; From The Roots, has just opened in Mumbai. The exhibition is a celebration of the work of these contemporary Indian artists featuring monumental textile interpretations of their painted artworks, created in partnership with the Chanakya atelier and originally commissioned by Dior, as part of Chanakya and Dior’s month-long celebration of Indian material culture, crafts and textiles – kicked off with the couture houses’ Fall/Winter 2023 presentation against a monumental textile backdrop at the Gateway of India. The Chanakya Ateliers are also showcasing a 30-year retrospective fashion exhibition of their collaboration with Dior, on view until 10 April.
Image courtesy of Gupta Niveditaa
Curated by Asia Society India Centre, Mūḷ Māthī; From The Roots is a showcase of 22 large-scale textile artworks by award-winning Indian Artists Madhvi and Manu Parekh in collaboration with Karishma Swali and the Chanakya Craft Collective. Curated as a postscript to an original commission by Maria Grazia Chiuri for the scenography of her Dior Couture spring-summer 2022 runway show, the exhibition presents 22 textile artworks, along with archival material, in an Indian context and for Indian audiences for the first time. The exhibition is an homage to the Parekhs, whose practices have a long-standing relationship with vernacular artistic traditions, an ode to the legacies of embroidery- work and textiles; a critical reflection on the possibilities of collaborations and patronage in the preservation and sustainability of craft-based artistic work.
Image courtesy of Gupta Niveditaa
This exceptional series of artworks was created by 320 artisans from the Chanakya Ateliers as well as female artisans from the Chanakya School of Craft, a non-profit school dedicated to craft, culture, and women's expression, who partnered together for more than three months to embroider 340 square meters (3,600 square feet) of work entirely by hand. The resulting interpretations become new works in their own right, poised between quotation, stylistic exercise, and interpretation, reactivated by the gesture of craft using the language of embroidery."'mūḷ māthī / from the roots is a testament to the shared values of Asia Society, Chanakya and Dior in promoting cross-cultural collaboration towards the continuity and promotion of Indian crafts. It also forces critical reflection on the possibilities that these collaborations and patronage open up for the preservation and sustainability of craft-based art. We are excited to showcase these unique works and highlight the multidisciplinary and collaborative processes that have been instrumental in their creation,” said Inakshi Sobti, Chief Executive Officer of Asia Society India Centre.
Image courtesy of Gupta Niveditaa
The works compose a retrospective of a duo’s art, reinterpreted in textiles by the Chanakya Craft Collective using contemporary variations of traditional hand embroidery techniques such as sfumato, couching and zardozi, innovating through craft to capture the intense colors and bold brushstrokes of Manu and Madhvi’s paintings. This language becomes a true conceptual act, entrusted, in particular, to the savoir-faire of Chanakya’s embroiderers.
The works of Mūḷ Māthī depict traditional Indian motifs and spiritual abstractions that celebrate the dichotomy between male and female, real and surreal, action and stillness. Honored with the National Award from Lalit Kala Akademi in 1979, Madhvi Parekh’s art is the confluence of modernism and traditional Indian craft patterns. A laureate of the Indian Government’s prestigious Padma Shri (1992), Manu Parekh constantly invites viewers of his work to travel through mental landscapes and spiritual abstractions, with a relentless commitment that makes him one of the most singular voices in contemporary Indian art. Madhvi Parekh and Manu Parekh’s relationship is rooted in an aligned vision with Chanakya, Karishma Swali Asia Society, and Maria Grazia Chiuri to preserve and revive global crafts through education and innovation. Mūḷ Māthī sets aside the assumed hierarchies of fashion and art to declare the immense potential of Indian craft.
Image courtesy of Gupta Niveditaa
For a list of public programming associated with Mūḷ Māthī, including weekly public walkthroughs, please visit: asiasociety.org/india/exhibitions/mul mathi-roots