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The journey of an idea begins with the seed, a metaphor for the spark inspired by nature’s elements. In this section, the cotton seed symbolises the initial moment of potential before human intervention.
Fibres, much like ideas, are untouched and unshaped, representing raw creativity in its nascency. The first stage of inception reflects the purity and openness of the early creative process, where the artist has not yet imposed form or structure. The natural materials speak to artistic expression’s organic beginnings, showing how ideas, like fibres, carry the promise of transformation once they begin to take shape.
The artists, in this section, explore these early stages of creative expression, reflecting the evolution of raw inspiration into form, much like the seed developing to its full potential.
Abraham & Thakore’s Jamdani and Double Ikkat weaves explore this concept through minimalism and sustainability, emphasising the purity and cyclicality of raw inspiration. They centre their designs on the motif of the circle—finite as a dot, yet infinite like the universe. This is the starting point, reflecting the cyclical nature of creation. Soumen Mondal draws inspiration from the riverine delta of the Sundarbans, where the eternally shifting ecosystem and forest are reflected in his work, The delta is gradually getting lower and lower 2. Janan Nozari’s embroidery works, from her Peacock Series, tap into the feminine impulse as the source of creation, exploring themes of identity, sexuality, and the female body through fabric, symbolising the nurturing essence at the core of new ideas. Mithun Das examines the expressions of violence and transformation through discarded animal skins, creating forms that symbolise the mapping of conflict, reflecting the emerging beginning of new forms born from tension in his works Pre Inflict Phase 35 and He Knows Everything 27. Parul Thacker constructs elaborate woven sculptures in the Arctic Series that explore ancient philosophical principles, capturing energy frequencies and multi-dimensional perspectives, symbolising the materialisation of the original concept.
