Exploring indigo and embroidery: Radhika Surana's debut solo exhibition in Delhi
The title borrows from E. E. Cummings' poem of the same name, a reflection on love, vulnerability, and the unknown. For the Gurugram artist, the show is a journey through her own idea of life, gesturing toward inner exploration—through thread and indigo-dyed works. 'The poem is about relationships, which is what my work speaks to as well,' she tells TMS.
It also becomes a space to explore places she hasn't yet travelled to with needle and paper. 'My art process is spontaneous and unplanned. I don't plan to start working. I just pick up the thread, and it starts travelling. I don't know where it's going, and that becomes the first step,' says Surana.
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New Indian Express
2 days ago
- New Indian Express
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The significance of Lord Krishna extends beyond Indian mythology. People admire, worship, and love Krishna not only as a deity but also as a figure who feels connected to their lives. And Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra (SBKK) is no exception. Like every year, this year also, it has been celebrating its flagship dance drama Krishna, from August 12-16. As the programme is in its 49th year, TMS speaks with Shobha Deepak Singh, the director of SBKK. 'The Krishna dance-drama has been an integral part of Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra's annual calendar for nearly five decades. Its 49th edition carries the weight of that heritage while embracing the freshness of renewed creative expression,' says Singh. Although SBKK performs the programme every year, this year's production is special because it reimagines a beloved classic with refined choreography, intricate costume detailing, and enhanced stagecraft. "It combines the depth of live music, the visual richness of lighting design, and the disciplined artistry of our repertory dancers. For long-time audiences, it offers the comfort of tradition; for first-time viewers, it presents an immersive introduction to the timeless story of Lord Krishna,' notes Singh. The phases of Krishna This edition of Krishna focuses on multiple phases of Lord Krishna's life. It highlights his childhood in Gokul, the pastoral beauty of Vrindavan, his eternal bond with Radha, and the epic events of the Mahabharata. 'The life of Krishna is a sequence of events woven with playfulness, love, wisdom, and the triumph of dharma over adharma. By selecting episodes that span both the personal and the cosmic—from the innocence of his early years to the moral gravitas of the Kurukshetra battlefield—we offer audiences a holistic portrait of his journey. The intention is to allow viewers to travel with him through changing landscapes of emotion and purpose,' says Singh. The choreography Other than storytelling through the diversity of events in Krishna's life, what also makes the dance drama special is the choreography. This year's production is choreographed by Shashidharan Nair, a known face in India's dance-theatre circle. Trained in multiple dance genres like Kathakali, Mayurbhanj Chhau, and Kalaripayattu, he has put his experience and skills into making this production a grand success. 'What makes his association with the Kendra exceptional is the legacy he carries forward. Having performed, taught, and choreographed here for generations of dancers, he bridges tradition and innovation with equal ease. Many of our principal artists today are his protégés, shaped by his discipline and commitment to authenticity. In Krishna, his skills transform episodes—from the pastoral simplicity of Gokul to the moral urgency of Kurukshetra—into vivid representations that remain etched in the audience's memory,' Singh concludes. Krishna is ongoing till August 16 at Kamani Auditorium, Mandi House
The Hindu
4 days ago
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Artist Radhika Surana brings her versatile indigo-dyed fabrics to a New Delhi exhibition
Growing up in Jaipur, surrounded by the slow rhythms of a culturally rich city, artist Radhika Surana did not realise how deeply its textures and traditions were imprinting themselves on her. 'The indigo blue which was all over the city, the culture of embroidery which I had at home, the relaxed slow life of a small city; this background shaped my technical vocabulary,' she says. Over time, Radhika understood that this influence was not just about skills or motifs, but about seeing making as 'an act of devotion; repetition not as monotony but as a meditative rhythm.' This philosophy has carried through a creative path that has been wide-ranging. A graduate in fine arts from Rajasthan University, Radhika trained under eminent artist Dwarka Prasad Sharma, studied watercolour and portraiture at Canadore College, Ontario, and apprenticed with Canadian artist Charlie Rapsky. It was only when she began working with textiles that something in her settled. 'Embroidery felt like mending, like returning to the first language… the act of holding the fabric close to oneself led me to a feeling of belonging, care, and continuity,' she says. This deep relationship with fabric and time now anchors her latest solo exhibition, Somewhere I Have Never Travelled, on view at New Delhi's Art Alive until August 20, 2025. The weight of Indigo Borrowing its title from an E.E. Cummings' poem, Somewhere I Have Never Travelled draws on Radhika's instinctive embroidery practice to explore human connection and emotional landscapes. Dyed in deep vats of indigo, her works weave personal meditations with India's textile heritage and its fraught colonial history. 'Indigo has always carried a double weight for me,' she says. 'It's personal and historical. I can't ignore indigo's global past: it fuelled trade routes, wealth, and, tragically, systems of enslavement and colonial extraction.' Working with the pigment pushes her in two directions at once: as a means of self-expression and a conversation with heritage. The exhibition features 63 works shaped by accident, chance, and the tactility of materials. In one, gauze hand-stitched over a cyanotype-printed cloth forms subtle waves and tonal shifts, punctuated with minimal French knots. Another begins with deep dark splashes, later softened with Japanese paper layering technique. There is another piece that treats fabric like watercolour, using scraps to build tonal values with cyanotype prints of plants. In a work inspired by lichens on tree bark, brown contrasts with crème beads to create simple but intense imagery. A private language in thread For Radhika, the vocabulary of materials evolved instinctively. She speaks of fabrics as collaborators, revealing their nature once in her hands. 'Over time, these gestures began to act like words in a private language,' she says. Knots mapped intimacy; charred or cut lines signalled rupture; restitched seams embodied repair. 'The fabric became a site where emotional states could live side by side. Beauty intertwined with fracture; care layered over damage — just as in any relationship between two humans.' That link between lived experience and visual language is deliberate. 'It's only when one feels the emotion that one can authentically express it,' she says. The slashes, burns, and repairs in her works emerge from personal histories of loss and healing, honouring vulnerability as much as resilience. Instinct as form This instinctive approach to fabric mirrors the way she reads Cummings' poem; the affinity is more spiritual than literal. Radhika describes both poem and practice as unfolding 'with a kind of quiet inevitability, yet without a rigid structure… loose, organic stitches, an openness to asymmetry, letting the soul and instinct guide.' Ultimately, she hopes viewers leave with a sense of the layered labour that relationships require. 'They are delicate,' she says, 'and it is important to understand each layer to help them grow.' In her hands, indigo and embroidery become vessels for reflection, care, and cultural reclamation — holding past and present in the same thread. The exhibition is on till August 20, Monday to Saturday, 11am to 7 pm, at Art Alive, Gamal Abdel Nasser Marg, Block S, Panchsheel Park South, New Delhi.
New Indian Express
09-08-2025
- New Indian Express
Beyond Borders
The motto of art has always been about pushing beyond boundaries. The recently concluded third installation of the popular exhibition 'Unity In Harmony' (Aug 3-7) was a testimony to this fact. Curator Devika Verma discussed the theme of the exhibition with TMS. 'In a world that often feels divided, this exhibition celebrated the universal language of art — a medium that transcends borders, cultures, and beliefs. It's about creating a space where artists from different backgrounds can share, learn, and inspire one another while the audience experiences the beauty of diversity coming together as one.' It was a collaboration with renowned UAE artists like Ahmad Al Awadhi Rukni. Artists and mediums The primary attraction of the exhibition was the collaboration among artists based in India and the United Arab Emirates. Verma celebrated the initiative saying, 'This year's Unity In Harmony was truly special because it was in collaboration with the Dubai International Art Centre, bringing together two vibrant art communities — India and the UAE —under one roof. The theme revolved around unity among nations and artists.' Adding about the artistic styles that the exhibition showcased, the curator noted, 'The exhibition covered an exciting range of genres — from the delicate transparency of watercolours to the bold vibrancy of acrylics, the precision of digital prints, the tactile strength of sculptures, and the intricate beauty of sketches. This variety ensured that every visitor, irrespective of their taste, finds something that resonates with them deeply'. Which artworks attracted the visitors the most? 'One of the standout pieces was 'A Stillness,' a breathtaking portrayal of a tiger and a girl. The work was both powerful and serene, symbolising the coexistence of strength and vulnerability, and the harmony between nature and humanity. Another piece was 'The Joy of Music,' which burst with life — featuring multiple musical instruments that celebrated the richness of Indian culture. It's a joyful reminder that music, much like art, has the power to unite people across time and geography,' said the curator.
