An exhibition in Delhi reimagines kantha as a language of repair and renewal

Explore "Threads that Bind: The Kantha Project," an exhibition in Delhi reimagining kantha as a medium of repair and renewal.

Long before it entered galleries or design studios, kantha lived in the rhythms of everyday life. In homes across Bengal, layers of worn cotton saris and dhotis were stacked together and held in place with a running stitch, creating soft, durable quilts for daily use. Over time, these surfaces became more than functional objects, carrying within them fragments of memory, labour, and care.

Threads that Bind: The Kantha Project, on view till March 20, 2026, at Gallery Vayu in Delhi’s Lodhi Colony, builds on this legacy while extending kantha into 34 contemporary artworks. Led by the pandemic-born artisan ecosystem Creative Dignity, the showcase brings together designers, artist studios, and artisan clusters across Bengal to work entirely with pre-loved textiles. 

“What we wanted to revisit was the essence of kantha,” says Amit Vijaya, co-founder, Amrich Designs and curator of the exhibition with utsaco. “Not surface embellishment, but repurposing and reuse. That’s really where it started.”

Despite its varied formats, the exhibition that has works from Weavers Studio, Amrich Designs, utsaco and Mahua Natural Fabrics, resists the urge to frame kantha as ornament or nostalgia. Instead, it returns to what it has always been: an act of repair.

From fragments to form

The materials themselves shape the works. About three years ago, the team began reaching out across craft communities, as well as to friends and family, inviting contributions of textiles that were no longer in use. Donations ranged from everyday cotton saris to jamdanis and even Benaras fabrics, some of which artisans were initially hesitant to work with.