MUMBAI.- The highly anticipated third edition of "Sutr Santati," a textile exhibition curated by Lavina Baldota, opened its doors at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai, Mumbai, on November 19th, 2023. Following the resounding success of the inaugural exhibition in New Delhi in August 2022, and its international debut at the Melbourne Museum, Australia, "Sutr Santati" is set to unveil in Mumbai, with an even more profound and extensive showcase of textiles and craftsmanship of Indian heritage.

The upcoming edition sees the inclusion of new artists and designers, that include Himanshu Shani of 11.11, Rahul Mishra, Renuka Reddy, Anamika Khanna, Viraj Khanna, Sarita Ganeriwala, Sumakshi Singh, Parul Thacker, Rahul Jain, Rooshad Shroff, Nila House among many other noteworthy names. In addition to these participating artists - a few returning contributors unveil their new creations, adding a fresh dimension to this year's exhibition. These include Ashiesh Shah, Manish Malhotra, Gaurang Shah, Anjul Bhandari, Aadyam Handwoven, Good Earth, and Manish Saksena.

The list of participants from the previous edition includes Chanakya School of Craft (with Delhi Crafts Council), Gaurav Gupta (with Waseem Ahmad), Radhika Raje Gaekwad (with Saeedur Rahman), Raw Mango by Sanjay Garg, Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla (with Akram), Pragati Mathur (with Ashwath Anna and Devaraj), and Lakshmi Madhavan (with Arvind Vijayan), among others.

On display are textiles created with processes of hand weaving, embroidery, resist-dyeing, printing, painting and appliqué, among other forms of yarn and fabric manipulation. These intricate creations feature a diverse array of fibres, including indigenous varieties like Kandu and Kala cotton, mulberry and wild silks, camel and sheep wool, goat and yak hair, and unconventional materials like lotus, banana, and water hyacinth. The exhibition’s curatorial vision seeks to promote the ideals of organic and slow consumerism in defining a nation such as India’s self worth, and the inherent collective, collaborative efforts which are required to push towards such goals. On this path, the rural and urban, the historical and the contemporary, and above all the local and the global become one.

The first edition, held in August 2022 at The National Museum, New Delhi, was a tribute to India's 75 years of independence, showcasing the diverse textile legacies woven together by some of the nation's most prominent artisans, craftspeople, designers, and artists. The exhibition received immense acclaim during its international premiere in May 2023 in Melbourne, Australia, marking a historic moment by presenting intricate, handmade textiles that had never been seen outside of India before.

Lavina Baldota, the visionary behind "Sutr Santati," shared her excitement for this year's edition, saying, "After the fantastic response in New Delhi and Melbourne, I wanted to bring 'Sutr Santati' to Mumbai. This year we dive deeper into our quest to show excellence and innovation. We have expanded the repertoire vis-à-vis materiality, techniques, and practitioners. Around 70 new artworks have been added to the Mumbai edition. We have also planned a 2-day Symposium in December, collaborating with Mumbai-based institutions like Chanakya School and Asiatic Society. As we widen our participation, I am looking forward to increasing the awareness, appreciation, and aspiration for Indian textiles by also using the exhibition as a platform for education for students from various design schools."

Lavina Baldota is the custodian of Abheraj Baldota Foundation. She is the President of Arpita Association which runs the Deepayan School in Hospet, Karnataka; a member of INTACH; a Founding-Circle member of the Museum of Art & Photography, Bengaluru;, a patron of the India Foundation of the Arts and a cultural ambassador for Asia Society. Having studied art, fashion and textiles, she aspires to create a museum for textiles and a weaving school in Hampi, with the intent of promoting the region’s craft tourism and making Indian textiles coveted in international couture. She is the recipient of the ‘Mahatma Award 2023’, for her impactful and path-breaking work in creating Social Consciousness around Indigenous Indian Textiles. Sutr Santati also received the ‘Hello Arts Award’ for the Exhibition of the Year.

The Abheraj Baldota Foundation was established in the year 1976 after our founder Chairman Shri Abheraj Hirachand Baldota, a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi’s, whose philosophy guides its vision of deploying wealth to nurture growth and empowerment, realizing the power of indigenous resources towards India and its people, and enabling sustainable living. Its backbone lies in Gandhi’s view on wealth and its ownership, as a means to serve the community.

National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai
Sutr Santati: Then. Now. Next
19th November 2023
Exhibition Curation: Lavina Baldota, Special Advisor: Mayank Mansingh Kaul, Exhibition Designer: Reha Sodhi