Review of 'Mūḷ Māthī'

Back in 2021, Dior’s Creative Director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, collaborated with the Chanakya Atelier to reinterpret Madhvi and Manu Parekh’s paintings as large-scale textile panels. Embroidered over the course of three months using both traditional Indian and couture techniques, these panels formed the backdrop for Dior’s spring-summer haute couture 2022 show at Musée Rodin in Paris, where they were also on view to the public for just one week. The tapestries travelled back to Mumbai, where they were created, for a special exhibition titled Mūḷ Māthī, curated by the Asia Society India Centre at Snowball Studios. The exhibition received a remarkable response from everyone we know who visited. We asked the artist and curator, Vasudhaa Narayanan, to share her personal view of the artistic collaboration and exhibition for the Monsoon Malabar Journal.

N.S. Harsha, Emission Test, Acrylic on canvas, 75 x 59 inches, 2021, Courtesy the artist & Vadehra Art Gallery

Viewing an exhibition of this scale and grandeur was an emotional experience for me, and to witness the journey that several hands have taken to make them a reality, a privilege. Each thread, knot, and weave — whether in silk, jute or cotton, is an expression of artistic freedom and fervent energy symbolic of the works by the artists, and the three hundred and twenty craftswomen and craftsmen themselves. These works blur the lines between artist and artwork, and medium and materiality, all the while elevating and transforming the form and content, as they build a new artistic language that is rooted in collaboration and trust.

As I set foot into the space, it felt equivalent to entering a sacred sanctum of textile works and the archival material that inspired them. The paintings by Madhvi and Manu Parekh became a starting point from which the larger textile works were built upon, transforming its medium and elevating the works to a new materiality. They invoked in me a sense of celebration, and exuded divinity and femininity. The scale of these works carry a sense of weight, making their presence known in each of the three rooms through dancing figures, mythological symbols and creatures, and divine gods and goddesses. The white room brought to the forefront the complex techniques and embroidery processes employed by the artisans of Chanakya to recreate and interpret the paintings by the artists. Highlighting several stages of mastery involved, this space offers a glimpse into their arduous processes; including the display of natural raw materials, dyes, threads used, along with section swatches of larger works, shedding light on the complexity and artistry involved in their making. 

Madhvi Parekh, Goddess i, 2005, Acrylic on canvas, Courtesy of Chanakya Craft Collective

Manu Parekh, Image in the Dark, 2015, Mixed media on board, Courtesy of Chanakya Craft Collective

In Evening at Banaras, traditional embroidery techniques bring to life what appears to be Manu’s representation of the dichotomies of life and death, at sunset in Banaras. The skills employed by the artisans allow for a reinterpretation of the paintings, where the sfumato effect blurs the several shades of ochre into hazy forms that were originally expressed as bold brushstrokes by the artist on canvas. On the other hand,  Madhvi’s ‘Friends’ evokes a magical world filled with deities, friends, and children in a pastoral setting. The stitching techniques create a sense of movement, one that feels dynamic, yet placeless; erasing the desire for a specific point of entry into the work. The figures and amorphous forms that appear as a consequence of repetitive expression or ‘riyaaz’, allow one to transport themselves to rural India, where the ‘Mūḷ — origin’ of the works are. 

Manu Parekh, Karishma Swali and the Chanakya Craft Collective, Evening At Banaras, 2021

Madhvi Parekh, Karishma Swali and the Chanakya Craft Collective, Durga Ii, 2021, Multi mixed media hand embroidered panels with small needle zardosi techniques using shaded silk threads, organic linen, jute and cotton threads, Courtesy of Chanakya Craft Collective

The transitory space of the grey room, allows for parallel narratives to emerge. The source of the textile works lie in their vibrant original form, significantly smaller in scale in comparison to the large tapestries. Chant III served as a backdrop for the conversation between the collaborators. "My understanding of colour is rooted in the language of embroidery. I began observing the world around me through the craft form only to eventually transition to painting," says Madhvi, encouraged to take up the brush by her husband, Manu. Over several years, her work has evolved to build a deep connection to the feminine form, like Two Heads of A Black Queen that buzzes with the feminine energy inherent in Madhvi’s work.

Manu Parekh, Karishma Swali and the Chanakya Craft Collective, Chant III, 2021, Courtesy of Chanakya Craft Collective

This particular piece appears twice, once in the grey room in a smaller scale; and again in the black room, much larger and more detailed. To me, this work stands out in the exhibition, for its evolution is distinctly visible. The karigars' use of different techniques showcase the meditative and deeply nuanced craftwork that goes into articulating the vision and colour in Madhvi’s painting. The detailed variations and movements in the threadwork create a visceral depth in colour and texture. The several symbols connecting the two heads build a vision rooted in folk narratives and kinship, tethered in a mythological reality that is sacred and personal. 

Madhvi Parekh, Karishma Swali and the Chanakya Craft Collective, Two Heads Of A Black Queen, 2021, Courtesy of Dior

As much as the exhibition serves as an homage to Madhvi and Manu Parekh, it also honours the craftsmanship that indicates a way forward in crediting, preserving and sustaining craft-based artistic works. Luxury garment houses have come under the radar for their exploitative practices, with an urgent need to hold themselves accountable for their sourcing and production. The continued involvement of the artists, and Karishma Swali in the creative process has ensured that with this creative collaboration, trust and transparency has led to formalise an exquisite artistic output. Additionally, with mandates in place to spotlight craft in India, the support of ASCI is crucial in contextualising, and giving credit where it's due, within the complex world of artisans’ work, in collaboration with fashion houses and the art world.

I’m filled with hope for the collective vision and curation of these pieces, as I think about who has creative agency, what is considered ‘fine art’ today, and how does one preserve and promote craft forms in a non-exploitive way? But for now, I’ll take my wins and envelope myself in the rich w(e)aves of these artworks, and the shared love and patronage for the craft that brought them into the public sphere.

Vasudhaa Narayanan is an artist, curator and the Features Editor of The Irregular Times. For more, follow Vasudhaa @vasudhaa.