Kantha graduates from being a fashion statement to an abstract art experiment in Bishwajit Mukhopadhyay’s hands

When it comes to abstract art, somehow, it’s easier to picture a frenzied artist splashing meaning on a canvas. A man bent over a piece of cloth, coaxing patterns out of needle and thread is not exactly a celebrated image of an abstract artist. But the rich threads of red that meet with blobs of green to create an organic network of abstract pattern in one of Biswajit Mukhopadhyay’s works, tell another story. They convince us to discard preconceived notions regarding abstract art. They tell us that Biswajit Mukhopadhyay is no ordinary artist.

Kantha, a wonderfully elementary form of running stich used by women in Bengal to make light blankets or bedspreads for children, is Mukhopadhyay’s chosen medium. “It’s an effort to revive this art form. It’s my tribute to the villages of Bengal,” says the artist. Though Kantha emroidery in its traditional form has found a place in the gaudy collections of some Kolkata-based fashion designers, Mukhopadhyay had the vision to think beyond quaint flower patterns and paislet motifs. “My works are representation of nature, but I choose to depict it in my own way,” says the Shantiniketan-based artist. His individualistic pieces of works are remarkable because of the functionality. Besides being works of art, they can also be used as scarves, stoles or even wall-hangings, as was evident at his recently concluded exhibitin at the Academy of Fine Arts.

... contd.