Image Credit - Vadehra Art Gallery
Rakhi Peswani, an artist and art instructor, investigates the connection between stitching and drawing in her work. By combining the traditions of minimalism and figurative art with weaving and sewing to create intricate forms and ideas, Peswani dismantles the hierarchy that places art above craft, painting above stitching, and sewing above sculpture. Peswani was initially interested in needlework as a hobby and a method to make gifts for her friends. Later, she switched from embroidery to sewing as the foundation of her artistic practice. Since then, she has created a sophisticated collection of work that investigates the relationship between the body, language, and craft.
Peswani, who was born in New Delhi in 1977, was raised all across India due to her father's military employment. She moved every three years and was exposed to a range of cultural activities, such as traditional bamboo weaving in Assam and block printing in Rajasthan. Peswani's mother served as her first mentor in this field, introducing her to the marvel of handmade processes. Thus, Making things by hand was a big part of her upbringing.
Peswani was inspired by the chaotic and even brutal transformation Indian cities go through as they develop into major metropolises. Her multilayered works, which examine the shifting motivations to produce and consume art in these cities, reflect the discrepancies that have never been resolved and the ongoing push and pull encountered between producer and consumer markets. Peswani intently examines nature in order to rediscover herself. Peswani combines her passion of large-scale sculpting, painting, and sketching to create forms that reveal a profoundly expressive inner world motivated by intuition and emotion. She works closely with materials like jute fibre, waste cotton, and natural pigments.