India Art Fair 2024 | Designer speak

Exhibits that blur the boundaries of art, design and fashion

“Through Chanakya’s artistic practice, we seek to highlight the importance of local communities in safeguarding the diversity of Indian traditions. Collaborating with artisans, artists, craft practitioners, and institutions often blurs presumed boundaries, making them fluid and subjective.  Although we may categorise creative expressions as craft, art, or design, the essence lies in the overarching concept of exploration,” says Karishma Swali, the creative director of Chanakya School of Craft.

“Belong is a spontaneous immersion into the eternal connection between man and the natural world. The interplay of hand-spun yarns and layering techniques, along with micro-variations of needlepoint techniques, bring to life a narrative that honours craft and its role in culture, community and preserving our collective identities. Complementing this narrative, the series also features sculptures handcrafted using bamboo, terracotta, and basket weaving techniques — a tribute to the enduring spirit of the feminine.”

“We’ve always looked at these disciplines [art, design and fashion] as connected and affecting each other. The presence of these overlaps is one of the aspects that Common Nouns — an exhibition of digital works by 15 contemporary designers/artists exploring the timelessness of Raw Mango’s diverse inspirations, on the occasion of the brand’s 15th anniversary — addresses,” says founder designer Sanjay Garg.

“Raw Mango looks at itself as a design brand and a part of cultural movements happening in its time and, as their creative partners, we feel it allows us to look at things more broadly.”

“This intersection [of art and design] always existed, it is just that now our lens has adjusted to see it. I do believe, however, that now it goes beyond aesthetics, as designers and artists alike are exploring emotions and depth through their collaborative endeavours,” says couturier Tarun Tahiliani.

“Driven by the purpose of paying homage to our traditional techniques and keeping generational crafts alive by contemporising them, the Tarun Tahiliani Design Studio entered the space of wall art in 2020. We began experimenting with storytelling through craft on formless textiles, and this culminated into works such as our rendition of pichwais and embroidered walls.”

“In the last decade, there’s been an increasing amount of attention being given to collectible design globally and that’s being mirrored in India. We are seeing a lot of creativity in the area of design because we have a lot of craft to work with, perhaps like no other country in the world. What’s going on in India is very interesting from a collectible point of view — in terms of the confluence of art, design and craft,” says founder Vikram Goyal.