VENICE.- Cosmic Garden delves into a narrative suspended between ancient Indian myths, the contemporary reinterpretation of Vedic symbols and the universal value of craft.

The exhibition features paintings and sculptures by Indian artists Madhvi Parekh and Manu Parekh and the transmutation of their practice into a collectively-created interdisciplinary medium — hand-embroidery. This metamorphosis is presented through crafted works and sculptures by Karishma Swali, Creative Director and the Chanakya School of Craft, a non-profit institution committed to the emancipation of women through craft.

Unfolding as an ode to both the pluralistic beauty of India’s cultural heritage and to the feminine creative principle Shakti, the project seeks to re-evaluate the mutual relationship between women and embroidery, transcending the confines of domesticity by bringing hand-embroidery into the public sphere.

Drawing from India's figurative and esoteric traditions, these works showcase a variety of colours, forms and characters and invite viewers to reflect upon the power of self-transformation. The experimentation of contemporary forms coalesces with Indian artisanal and cultural traditions, celebrating a new, multidisciplinary approach which dismantles presumed hierarchies between genres and roles, blurring the boundaries between art and craft.

Madhvi Parekh's paintings and sculptures depict female deities surrounded by celestial beings and symbolic representations, inspired by Indian mythology. Unfolding like a narrative, her work expands from a singular image into expansive narratives, blending childhood memories, folk motifs, legends and figures with abstract subjects. In Village Opera (2022), the self-taught, internationally renowned artist creates scenes of everyday life in Indian rural villages and combines them with Indian myths and depictions of deities. This vibrant tableau captures the interconnectedness of humans with divine entities such as Ganesha – the elephant-headed deity and son of Shiva and Parvati – here portrayed alongside Indian goddesses, like Durga and Kali and a lively array of birds, animals, and plants.

Manu Parekh’s work, which is also influenced by Indian cultural traditions, in contrast, incorporates aspects of Western modernism and abstract expressionism. His vibrant compositions, characterised by broken lines, stripes, crosses and floral motifs, embody the cosmic harmony of masculine and feminine energies. Through colours and organic forms, he engages in bold experimentations and vibrant abstractions, which illustrate his relationship with the tangible and sensual aspects of the body, the creative and destructive power of nature and everyday life. In Shiva’s Tandav (2023), Manu Parekh draws inspiration from the Shiva Lingam, a sacred symbol representing the Hindu deity, Shiva. By incorporating this motif in his work, Parekh infuses the form with the energy of the Tandav dance, a divine performance symbolising creation and destruction. Through this juxtaposition of Indian myths with themes of spirituality, Manu Parekh explores the idea that destruction is not only about death, but also about beauty and renewal, akin to the transition of buds to the blooming of new flowers.

Affirming a dialogue which redefines the role of the artist and artisan, Karishma Swali and the Chanakya School of Craft have collaborated with artists Manu Parekh and Madhvi Parekh to create a series of crafted works, realised through meticulous needlework embroidery and handcraft techniques, as well as the use of organic materials like raw linen, jute, silk, and cotton.

Carving out an artistic language firmly rooted in their collective cultural histories, these works embody the artists’ and artisans’ aligned vision to preserve Indian cultural heritage and to commit to its endurance through responsible innovation. In Devi and Asura (2022), the representation of good and evil is visually portrayed through a complex interplay of threads. This multi-layered piece employs over 32 handcraft techniques, including fine stitch, couching, back stitch and stem stitch, as well as the use of cotton, linen, silk, and jute short-staple and long-staple threads. The artwork process required over 16,100 hours of work, with 30 highly skilled artisans contributing to its creation.

Karishma Swali and the school's artisans also extracted ten figures from Madhvi Parekh's painting Village Opera and re-imagined them in sculptures. Depth and texture have been added through the use of metal wire, paper mache, and organic limestone which have been intricately embroidered and layered so as to reinvent pre-existing forms and techniques.

Artists Madhvi Parekh and Manu Parekh, a couple in art and life, said: "It is a tremendous experience to see our historical and new works shown here, at La Biennale di Venezia, for the first time ever. Cosmic Garden also represents an incredible opportunity to see how both our individual and collective practices continue to unfold into new forms, inspiring further readings and new interpretations by younger generations of artists and creatives. Drawing on a multi-disciplinary and collective language developed with Karishma Swali and first unveiled at the Dior Spring Summer 2022 haute couture presentation in Paris, the works for Cosmic Garden truly embody our aligned vision. The exhibition is a celebration of India’s pluralistic beauty and a commitment to preserving its artisanal heritage through the experimentation of new forms and the pursuit of innovation".

Karishma Swali, Creative Director, Chanakya School of Craft and Founder & President, Chanakya Foundation, said: "We are deeply honoured that our exhibition, Cosmic Garden, has been selected as a collateral event at the 60th International Art Exhibition — La Biennale di Venezia. Aligning with this year's theme, Foreigners Everywhere, we aim to highlight the significant role of craft in preserving our collective cultural identities. At the intersection of art and craft, Cosmic Garden presents embroidery as both an intimate, almost meditative art form and a practice with profound social and artistic implications, especially when it moves beyond the domestic sphere and enters the public realm. In India, the tradition of hand craftsmanship is passed down through generations, reflecting the country's rich and diverse culture. Cosmic Garden is the culmination of our creative exchange with Madhvi Parekh and Manu Parekh, aimed at introducing a new language through an interdisciplinary collective approach and presenting an aligned vision for preserving India's cultural heritage".

The exhibition's curators, Maria Alicata and Paola Ugolini, added: "Cosmic Garden, the result of the Chanakya School of Craft's collaboration with Indian artists Manu Parekh and Madhvi Parekh, explores the possibility of questioning hierarchies between media that always existed in art through a collective interdisciplinary approach across knowledges. Embroidery becomes a possible bridge between traditional and contemporary forms of expression. When artists use it as a privileged medium, they reconnect with tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Cosmic Garden also recognizes the importance of the role of communities in enhancing stories and testimonies of different identities and memories".

On view at Salone Verde - Art & Social Club until 24 November 2024, Cosmic Garden complements Stranieri Ovunque — Foreigners Everywhere, the theme for Biennale Arte 2024, shining a light on the vital role of local communities in preserving the essence of Indian traditions and the transformative power of collaboration.