Sutr Santati inaugurated at National Gallery of Modern Art

Image for representational purposes only. File/Pic

The National Gallery of Modern Art, Ministry of Culture, Government of India inaugurated the exhibition titled "Sutr Santati - Then.Now.Next" in collaboration with the Abheraj Baldota Foundation on the 18th of November 2023. The exhibition celebrates India, through contemporary handmade textiles. Exclusive works at display were born out of the creative synergy & dialogue among weavers, craftspeople, curators, artists, designers and some young textile & art enthusiasts.

The exhibition titled "Sutr Santati - Then.Now.Next" curated by Ms. Lavina Baldota was inaugurated by Ms. Vidya Balan, famous film artist in the august presence of eminent artists, curators & designers. The exhibition comprehensively represents the country's uniquely rich & diverse geography and culture and highlights one of the most prolific periods of artistic creation in post-independent India.

It also serves as a reminder of our country's pre-eminent position in the world with respect to the design and manufacturing of handmade fabrics that serve diverse purposes. This textile exhibition at NGMA, Mumbai is also a sincere attempt to bridge the divide and integrate diverse forms of creative endeavours. On display are approximately 200 textile exhibits created with processes of hand weaving, embroidery, resist-dyeing, printing, painting and appliqué, among other forms of yarn and fabric manipulation.

These intricate creations feature a diverse array of fibres, including indigenous varieties like Kandu and Kala cotton, mulberry and wild silks, camel and sheep
wool, goat and yak hair, and unconventional materials like lotus, banana and water hyacinth. The exhibition's curatorial vision seeks to promote the ideals of organic and slow consumerism in defining a nation such as India's self-worth, and the inherent collective, collaborative efforts that are required to push towards such goals. On this path, the rural and urban, the historical and the contemporary, and above all the local and the global become one.

About the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai
The National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai was opened to the public on December 23rd, 1996. It is located in the precincts of the former auditorium the Sir Cowasji Jehangir Public Hall (C.J.P. Hall) and the Institute of Science. This architecturally marvellous building was designed and built by the famous British architect George Wittet in 1911. C. J. Hall was donated to the city of Mumbai in 1911 by Sir Cowasji Jehangir, whose family has gifted the city, no less than four magnificent public buildings.

Only the facade remains of the edifice that was built by George Wittet. This building has been completely redesigned by the famous architect Romi Khosla giving it a spiral spin. The interior with its elegant horseshoe-shaped balconies now exhibits a different look with a central stairway and semi-circular galleries at different levels.

NGMA, Mumbai is home to an incredible collection of one thousand four hundred and fifty- six artworks which include paintings, sculptures, graphics and photographs. While the permanent collection includes both Indian and international artists, special focus has been on the Bombay Progressive Artists which includes the artists S.H. Raza, V. S. Gaitonde, Akbar Padamsee, Ram Kumar, F. N. Souza and more. However, true to its ethos as an institution that is resolutely
focused on India's contemporary art landscape, it also houses the works of artists like Nalini Malani, Anupam Sud, Vasudeo Kamath, Arpana Caur and sculptures by Himmat Shah, J.K. Chillar and Dilip Mishra