The exploration of Indian tradition within the context of contemporary design was on full display at the India Art Fair 2024. Karishma Swali, the creative director of Chanakya School of Craft, highlighted the essence of this year’s showcase: “Through Chanakya’s artistic practice, we seek to highlight the importance of local communities in safeguarding the diversity of Indian traditions. Collaborating with artisans, artists, craft practitioners, and institutions often blurs presumed boundaries, making them fluid and subjective. Although we may categorise creative expressions as craft, art, or design, the essence lies in the overarching concept of exploration.”
Swali’s statement underscores the festival’s thematic celebration — a synthesis of culture and timeless craftsmanship. The show, titled “Belong,” was a spontaneous immersion into the eternal connection between humans and the natural world. With the interplay of hand-spun yarns, layering techniques, and intricate needlepoint, the narrative spun celebrates the sanctity of craft and the community.
Furthering this narrative, “Belong” featured sculptures meticulously handcrafted using bamboo, terracotta, and basket weaving, tributes to the enduring spirit of the feminine. These pieces provide a dimensional perspective to the art on display, enriching the viewers’ experience.
The fair also featured “Common Nouns,” an exhibition of digital works by 15 contemporary designers and artists, marking the 15th anniversary of fashion brand Raw Mango. Sanjay Garg, the brand’s founder, mused, “We’ve always looked at these disciplines [art, design, and fashion] as connected and affecting each other. The presence of these overlaps is one of the aspects that ‘Common Nouns’ addresses.”
Garg posited Raw Mango as more than a design brand — it is an active participant in the cultural wave of its era. Celebrating the intersection of art and design, couturier Tarun Tahiliani remarked, “This intersection always existed; it is just that now our lens has adjusted to see it. Now it goes beyond aesthetics, as designers and artists alike are exploring emotions and depth through their collaborative endeavours.”
Artisans aim to carry the torch of traditional Indian techniques into modernity, exemplified by Tarun Tahiliani Design Studio’s foray into wall art in 2020. The studio transformed storytelling through craft on textiles, resulting in pieces like pichwais and embroidered walls, infusing tradition with contemporary expression.
Recognizing the growing global interest in collectible design, founder Vikram Goyal noted the Indian contributions to this sphere are particularly intriguing, given the abundant craft resources unique to the country. “In the last decade, there’s been an increasing amount of attention being given to collectible design globally, and that’s being mirrored in India,” said Goyal.
At the fair, the Vikram Goyal Studio presented an array of pieces, including “Silken Passage,” a colossal 28-foot mural inspired by the Silk Road and crafted using repoussé techniques that reflect the rich tapestry of flora, fauna, and vessels found along the historic route.
Simultaneously, the studio unveiled “Song of the Forest,” a new design language that plays with sheet hammering, casting, and semi-precious materials. This line is inspired by Indian mangroves, creating abstract contemporary pieces vastly different from the representational design of “Silken Passage.”
The reverence for the past and the embrace of future potentialities at the India Art Fair 2024 echo the cultural zeitgeist. The convergence of art, design, and craft showcased not just a visual spectacle but conveyed a resonant message — Indian traditions are a living, evolving entity shaped by the hands and hearts of countless creators. The art fair stood as an epitome of this continuous dialogue, reflecting a confluence that has the power to inspire and preserve our collective identities.
