EditorThe Crafts Council of Karnataka presents the 29th edition of Vastrabharana, an annual flagship exhibition, and handcrafted textiles and jewelry by 50 artisans. It will take place at the new gallery Spaces at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath between September 30th and October 4th from 10 AM to 7 PM.
The event will be inaugurated on September 30th at 11 AM by Arundhati Gosh, Executive Director, India Foundation for the Arts. The Artisans have been invited to interpret places of worship as shared spaces of healing and connection. By drawing inspiration from nature and architecture, the textiles and jewelry at Vastrabharana will explore symmetry and balance concepts while featuring traditional and contemporary symbols and motifs.
What some of the participating artisans have to say:
Mohammad Sabir Neelgar
“For our 45-color leheriya saree, it takes me 40 days to make. So I dye the saree in small batches in a vegetable bowl, which is the traditional process and design used for turbans,” said Mohammad Sabir Neelgar.
Sufiyan Ismail Khatri
“Our family has been practicing the traditional craft of hand block Ajrakh print for ten generations. Since the late ’90s, my interest has been fostering collaborations and overcoming design limitations with Ajrakh by introducing new color combinations, block designs, and patterns suitable to their market needs. With only seven artisans involved in our craft a decade ago, today we are working with about 140 printers and dyer,” said Sufiyan Ismail Khatri
Sidr Crafts
“We wanted to do something different for Vastrabharana this year. So we are bringing saris, dupattas, and stoles in new, contemporary designs in traditional colors,” said Abdullah Khatri from Sidr Crafts.
The Jewelry Project
“Our place of worship is Mother Nature. Mother Nature has been an inspiration and muse to several collections. The space of worship emanates from the heart and connects to Nature. All our designs are based on this philosophy,” said Deepti Sudhindra, The Jewelry Project.
Yuti Handlooms
“The idea behind Yuti Handlooms is to hold onto traditional Jamdani designs and also keep the modern outlook in mind. For Vastrabharana, we are creating different styles of temple architecture in our Jamdani weaving. We took inspiration from Bali Pura Luhur temple and Angkor Wat,” said Tamojit Mallick from Yuti Handlooms.
2Up2Down Textiles
“At Two Up Two Down, we focus on creating unique textiles that narrate skills of women artisans bringing in growth, inspiration, empowerment, and ways of sustainable practices,” said Namrata Shah.
Padmaja Sakhamuri, Convenor of Vastrabharana, says, “There are so many artisans all over the country, and we endeavor to introduce new artisans in Vastrabharana every time. In this edition, too, we have done the same. We do have a lot of first-timers participating like Patan Patola Heritage for double Ikkat Patan, Tantajo for muslin Jamdani, Meekhalio for contemporary Chanderi and soya saris, Dayaben Dohat for soof embroidery, Savi Paithani, Tarini from Odisha, Aurobindo Textiles for Vidarbha sarees, Chitra Looms for weaves of Tamil Nadu, Nasruddin Ansari for Kota weaves, Kubsa for natural dye Khunns, Shivani Silver for South Indian jewelry and Royal Brocades. Apart from these, our regular participants always try and innovate and curate something for Vastrabharana. “
The Crafts Council of Karnataka is a nonprofit organization started in Bengaluru in 1967 under the patronage of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay. The Crafts Council of Karnataka is also affiliated with the Crafts Council of India and the World Crafts Council. The mission is to promote and support the crafts of Karnataka and sustain the livelihoods of the craftspeople.
Entry: Free
Compulsory: Wearing of Masks/ Sanitisation/ Social Distancing
Venue: Chitrakala Parishat, Kumara Krupa Road, Bangalore
Date: September 30th – October 4th, 2021
Timing: 10 AM – 7 PM
For further info contact: 9620235041
Editor
Meghana Harikumar
