drapes & pours
Drapes & Pours documents projects made by pouring thin layers of water based paints & kumkum (traditional Indian pigment) onto canvases, silks and cottons. These works have been brought alive through gesturing towards traditions of draping.
My practice incorporates the act of draping, drawing inspiration from the rich textile traditions of India and South Asia. I explore draping as both gesture and language—an embodied, material process that connects contemporary art-making with ancestral artisan practices. I am resting in the dialogue between the work of the artist and the work of the artisan, walking the interstitial path between art, craft, and ritual.
There are questions in the air ~ what makes the work of an artisan different to that of an artist? Why would one receive more or less recognition, reward and respect? How, why and to what end do we uphold these binaries?
.1.
“My Long Ancestral Body (part 3)”, 2025.
"My long ancestral body (p.3)" is a 183cm x 1000cm painting made with water-based paints, kumkum and inks on canvas. It considers the infinite length of human lineage, seeing life as a vast continuum of evolutionary, ecological, and cosmological ties.
"My long ancestral body (p.3)" is a 183cm x 1000cm painting made with water-based paints, kumkum and inks on canvas. It considers the infinite length of human lineage, seeing life as a vast continuum of evolutionary, ecological, and cosmological ties.
"My long ancestral body (p.3)" is a 183cm x 1000cm painting made with water-based paints, kumkum and inks on canvas. It considers the infinite length of human lineage, seeing life as a vast continuum of evolutionary, ecological, and cosmological ties.
.2.
“I draped her like my mother’s saree, although I cannot drape my own saree”, 2025.
"I Draped Her Like My Mother's Saree, Although I Cannot Drape My Own Saree" is an installation piece made of water based paints, pigments, ink & kumkum on 183cm x 1000cm canvas. It can be installed in variable sizing.
"I Draped Her Like My Mother's Saree, Although I Cannot Drape My Own Saree" is an installation piece made of water based paints, pigments, ink & kumkum on 183cm x 1000cm canvas. It can be installed in variable sizing.
"I Draped Her Like My Mother's Saree, Although I Cannot Drape My Own Saree" is an installation piece made of water based paints, pigments, ink & kumkum on 183cm x 1000cm canvas. It can be installed in variable sizing.
"I Draped Her Like My Mother's Saree, Although I Cannot Drape My Own Saree" is an installation piece made of water based paints, pigments, ink & kumkum on 183cm x 1000cm canvas. It can be installed in variable sizing.
"I Draped Her Like My Mother's Saree, Although I Cannot Drape My Own Saree" is an installation piece made of water based paints, pigments, ink & kumkum on 183cm x 1000cm canvas. It can be installed in variable sizing.
"I Draped Her Like My Mother's Saree, Although I Cannot Drape My Own Saree" is an installation piece made of water based paints, pigments, ink & kumkum on 183cm x 1000cm canvas. It can be installed in variable sizing.
"I Draped Her Like My Mother's Saree, Although I Cannot Drape My Own Saree" is an installation piece made of water based paints, pigments, ink & kumkum on 183cm x 1000cm canvas. It can be installed in variable sizing.
"I Draped Her Like My Mother's Saree, Although I Cannot Drape My Own Saree" is an installation piece made of water based paints, pigments, ink & kumkum on 183cm x 1000cm canvas. It can be installed in variable sizing.
"I Draped Her Like My Mother's Saree, Although I Cannot Drape My Own Saree" is an installation piece made of water based paints, pigments, ink & kumkum on 183cm x 1000cm canvas. It can be installed in variable sizing.
.3.
“Labour of Love, Love of Labour”, 2025.
"Labour of Love, Love of Labour" is an installation work in becoming. Hand dyed cotton and silk chunnis (transl. scarves) come off the laundry rack and onto the wall, to be seen as a "painting in performance".
