Tradition/Transformation marks the culmination of a 3-week collaboration between contemporary artist T. Venkanna and fourteen Zardozi artisan graduates or Karigars of the Kalhath Institute in Lucknow.
Separated by a forward slash, the relationship between “tradition” and “transformation” is purposely left ambiguous and suggests a potent force at work. On one hand is the Karigar’s traditional background, social conditioning, religious beliefs and conventional ways of working and thinking. On the other hand is the artist’s desire to break free from those very norms and conditions.
What transformation is possible when tradition collides with innovation? What challenges does a collaboration of this nature bring? What can the outcome be, when highly-skilled Zardozi Karigars work together with a contemporary artist like T. Venkanna? These were some of the questions that led to this project.
As brush and paint were replaced by needle and thread, the result was not only the creation of exquisite “embroidered paintings”, but also the transformation of medium and mindset. The artisans were able to break free from their prejudices and explore new forms and stich techniques, while the artist was able to broaden his practice and experiment with new ways of image-making.
By blurring the lines between - art and craft, painting and embroidery, artist and artisan - and presenting it afresh, preconceived notions of classification get highlighted and challenged. I hope that the viewer will see first-hand the transformation of images, ideas, and material by the hand of the artist as well as the artisan. And that the engagement will produce a newer way of seeing and evaluating both art as well as craft.
- Abhay Maskara
