The exhibition Entwined edition 2 at Delhi’s Bikaner House puts the spotlight on textile-based art crafting cultural narratives

Entwined edition 2 at CCA Gallery showcases diverse textile artworks reflecting diverse cultural heritage and innovative artistic expressions using fibres and textiles as the medium.

More than 200 artworks spread across six halls and multiple corridors on two floors at the CCA Gallery in Bikaner House showcase how fibre and textiles are integral to our lives. They are not just functional but feed into our daily lives as conversations, connect us to our surroundings and serve as symbols of cultural heritage and diversity.

For the capital’s art connoisseurs, Entwined edition 2has brought collections from the eighties to the present , tribal and traditional to contemporary pieces by 59 artists who have woven powerful narratives of cultural identity, intellectual vitality and artistic expressions using tactile and flexible textiles.

Gallerist Sharan Apparao, who curated the first edition of Entwined in Chennai earlier this year, says, she wanted to keep the spotlight on textiles as a medium because textiles are preservers of the past and inspirations for the future and are seeing a revival of interest around the globe.

“Every artist thinks and enables art to take the shape of a narrative that transcends beyond the medium; it is interesting to see how people take to the idea,” she says of Entwined edition 2, which is divided into two parts.

The first part is categorised under three sections: The Body features artworks that integrate landscapes and elements of Nature to create a dialogue on the impermanence of life and the interconnectedness of living things. The Mind features an array of abstract, figurative and mythological narratives to illustrate the mind’s power and takes the viewer to a space of silence in thought and reflects on simplicity. The Soul conveys emotional and spiritual experiences through an interplay of threads and fibres.

The second part is dedicated to timeless relevance of Mahatma Gandhi who spun and wove khadi, as a transformative and political tool against the colonial rulers.

Gunjan Jain’s Hanuman Chalisa in Telugu stands out on a bright orange silk for its extraordinary technique borrowed from Odisha’s ikat. This hand woven calligraphy does not repeat the weaves for the 40 verses. An embroidered crochet with cotton and wool yarn is a haunting self-portrait of Manasa Priya Dhulipalla with its hanging threads depicting a state of dilemma. Megha Joshi’s Hair series comprises thread drawings of women whose hair is the focal point in acts of resistance or compliance.