Apparel April 2019 Apparel April 2019 issue | Page 87

UNIQUE INITIATIVE
Kulavoor to paint the exterior with a large mural
depicting hands busy with different activities, thus
conveying the gallery’s focus on the handmade.
FOCUSED ON THE HANDMADE
The gallery opened in 2011 and over the past
eight years, Radhi has consciously researched,
read about and met designers, artists and
artisans (in India and abroad) to understand their
work and ideology, and then invite them to exhibit
their work at the gallery. Apart from exhibitions,
the gallery holds activities, workshops,
demonstrations, film and documentary screenings
and talks. These programmes make it a vibrant
space anchored in the spirit of learning and
sharing knowledge of craft, art, textiles, and
handmade and sustainable practices.
The focus of ARTISANS’ has predominantly
been on textiles and garments, and the gallery
has also launched textile and fashion designers
who have shown their work for the first time
in Mumbai. From the embroidered garments
and textiles of Kutch to the contemporary Ilkal
and Gadwal saris of designer Vinay Narkar
based in Solapur; indigo garments of Santanu
Das of Maku, Kolkata; the novel linen saris of
Anavila Misra; contemporary style Jamdani
saris by Karomi, Kolkata; beautiful block-
printed garments by Urbania from Jaipur;
sustainable fashion garments by Indigene;
and the stylish, experimental garments that
integrate Indian weaving with ancient Japanese
resist-dyeing methods of Japanese designer
Ryoko Haraguchi; the gallery has hosted several
exhibitions of textile and fashion designers. Most
recently, ARTISANS’ has held two interesting
textile-related exhibitions featuring garments of
The Stitching Project and Indigene.
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