Artworks made using bamboo, crochet, beads, hand-painted kalamkari and crochet greet visitors at Dhi Artspace, Hyderabad. The exhibition, titled Crafting the Crossroad, is an attempt to use craft as fine art. In the process, the five participating artists attempt to address questions of identity as well as showcase the history and cultural context of the craft. Curated by Somedutta Mallik, the exhibition puts the spotlight on the work of artists Chathuri Nissansala, Shruti Mahajan, Mousumi Karmakar, Rajarshi Sengupta and Susanna Bauer.
In memory of Easter bombings
Chathuri Nissansala, a multidisciplinary artist from Sri Lanka, pays homage to those who lost their lives in the suicide bombings that shook Colombo on Easter, 2019. Her series is titled ‘When flesh fades away, all you are left with is the memory of them’. She uses broken and dismantled idols collected from the bomb attack sites and harnesses beadwork and costume-making techniques of southern Sri Lanka to create artworks that can start a dialogue about the unrest and violence in her country. Her research took her to the new memorials within the churches that were attacked, where she saw salvaged materials being displayed in memory of the departed. The costumes she uses to dress up the idols and found objects is a dying craft native to the Matara coastal region of Sri Lanka. Chathuri apprenticed with Somapala Pothupitiya, who is reportedly among the last artisans from the Navandanne community who practices the technique. Keen to understand the tradition of ritualistic costume-making, Chathuri also wanted to create a new discourse by using it to invoke a sense of healing and hope.
