State of Fashion 2024 | … of involution, of languor…
In Bengaluru, what you wear makes you a marker of your community. Donning a pair of jeans could mean you lose your life to violence. Children miss school because of unwashed uniforms, thanks to zero water supply. The exhibition … of involution, of languor… took place against a landscape where the body, the cloth and the act of swaddling oneself are and always will be political. Artists Indu Antony, Rujuta Rao and Swati Kalsi bring care to the forefront of their artistic and research projects.
In a region where water is seen as a conduit to spiritual cleanliness, and as a means to attaining purity, Indu Antony and the women of Namma Katte address its scarcity by repurposing used clothing to highlight the structural inequalities in their everyday lives. Rujuta Rao uses the language of preservation, of bottling, to explore complex human conditions – macerating textile and non-textile belongings of her loved ones. Textile designer Swati Kalsi’s creative research examines the potential of forming a radical system of knowledge-sharing between herself and the craftspeople she works with, forging channels of care through assistance in technology, upskilling and design research.
Highlights from State of Fashion 2024 | …of involution, of languor… were on view at Rembrandt Theatre during the Biennale’s run in Arnhem.
…of involution, of languor…, Bengaluru, India
1ShanthiRoad, 19 March – 1 April 2024
Gecureerd door / Curated by Kallol Datta
Featuring:
Indu Antony
Swati Kalsi
Rujuta Rao
Kallol Datta
Kallol Datta is een kledingmaker met de nadruk op creatief onderzoek naar kledingpraktijken die afkomstig zijn uit de SWANA-regio, het Indiase subcontinent en het Koreaanse schiereiland. His clothing practice presents garments as a conduit for personal agency and expression.
Whilst living and working in Kolkata, Kallol has chosen Bengaluru as his interlocutor site. He intends to work with local artists whose work centres on using craft to create safe centres of community and knowledge exchange.