Conceptualised by Adip Dutta, Stitched Paintings, an exhibition of kantha as a form of stitched picture-making, a brainchild of the late Meera Mukherjee, celebrated the birth centenary year of the Padma Shri award-winning sculptor. Exhibited at Galerie 88, it featured more than 10 stitched paintings along with digital copies of the drawings that inspired the artworks. Together they gave viewers an insightful glimpse of the collaborative project undertaken by Mukherjee with women and children from South 24 Parganas.
“She wanted to revitalise the format of kantha and worked for almost 30 years on the project with rural women and children of Elaichi and Nolgorhat in South 24 Parganas. She made her foundry there and people would visit her. Eventually, she started helping children in their studies and oversaw their artistic education. She also noticed women making small kanthas, which were very structured. She suggested they draw inspiration from the drawings of the kids and make their own compositions on kantha. It’s true that she never stitched herself but she was central to the entire project,” said Adip, who has worked closely on Mukherjee’s project.
Viewers will find a delightful symmetry between the digital drawings and the kantha in the frame. Drawings of scenes of women working in the field and children playing are beautifully depicted in the fine dash and dots on the fabric. The exhibition is on till June 30 at the Shakespeare Sarani art gallery.
A glimpse of the kantha displayed at Galerie 88
Supriya Banerjee
The digital drawings of the children that inspired the project
Tapati Guha Thakurta and Malavika Banerjee
The exhibition also featured a carpet that showcased the same technique used in weaving