Gaurang Shah set for sari art show in Delhi

Textile revivalist Gaurang Shah will take the experience of Jamdani art beyond just fashion through his 'Kalpavriksha - Sari Art Show' here.

The show will take place in Apparao Galleries from December 10 to 12.

"It is homage to an age-old craft that demonstrates to the viewer the benefits of combining separate schools of thought, traditions and philosophies of 'Jamdani' weave to form a new, favourable art fusion through different weaves of sari," Shah said in a statement.

Shah's penchant for sari revival is well-known in the fashion circuit and to fashionistas around the world.

Taking a cue from this theme (Kalpavriksha - Tree of Life), the saris to be showcased in the gallery are the allegorical portrayal of Tree Of Life through an opulent collection of Indian textile in the traditional art of weaving Jamdani.

Shah has taken a varied approach to illustrate concept of the Tree of Life in some of the exquisite and complex variety of Indian embroidery - Kantha of Bengal, Zardosi of Hyderabad, Kasuti of Hubli, Marodi of Rajasthan, Chikankari of Lucknow, Kashidakari of Kashmir, Bandhani from Kutch and Parsi Gara from Mumbai.

The purpose of the show is to expose the common man to these long lost weaving and embroidery techniques. This new sari collection is a medium to bring back the appreciation to this laborious, lengthy and painstaking work of artisans.

The fusion between different natural yarns and the long lost Jamdani weaves conveys an exquisite balance between heritage heirloom and contemporary designs in his signature craft-couture saris.

"I just like to keep doing different things to expand the hand woven fashion admiration. For me, making a sari is really is an art. It is something that you learn the basics of and the more you practice, the better you get. Finding the right fabric and preparing it to be made into a sari is the hard work," Shah said.