Inspired by E.E. Cummings' evocative poem, Somewhere I Have Never Travelled, Radhika Surana presents a profound examination of human relationships and emotional landscapes through instinctive embroidery techniques. Starting next week at Art Alive Gallery, Her practice of indigo vat dyeing is deeply intertwined with the rich textile heritage of India. The intricate stitches, knots, slashes, and scorches utilized in her work coalesce as meditative gestures that reflect themes of intimacy, personal development, disruption, and restoration.
In her exploration of the indigenous significance of this hue, often referred to as ‘blue gold,’ the artist delves into a rich cultural heritage that evokes both intrigue and admiration. For her, indigo embodies a profound legacy and distinct personality, deeply intertwined with spirituality and requiring ongoing care. She skillfully utilizes this dye to connect the past with the present, intricately weaving heritage into each strand of her artistic creations. We’re in conversation with the artist to understand her practice better.
When did your romance with the arts begin?
I have grown up in Jaipur surrounded by art, Indian classical music and culture. At that point, Jaipur was a very small city and there were a lot of cultural activities which I attended regularly with my parents. My mother has always been very enthusiastic about embroidery. She, at that point used to create bed covers and massive panels using bright colored threads. Seeing her, I always kept a small piece of fabric by my side, on which I struggled to learn new stitches and patterns. In school, learning all the arts and crafts (blue pottery, batik, embroidery, knitting) was compulsory. This just paved the way for me to the art world. I guess one can say that the romance started early with home and school environment being very conducive to the arts and also having had exposure to all types of art activities on a day-to-day basis.
Do you need to feel in order to create?
Yes, creating is an intense feeling which fulfills me, emotionally and creatively. Just to be able to sit in my studio and dabble with the fabrics, thread and paper calms me down and gives me a feeling of calm and peace.
What kind of themes do you gravitate towards?
I gravitate more towards nature and organic forms, color, form and the depth created by overlapping all these elements really fascinate me.
I chanced upon the book, The Hidden life of Trees which led me to a journey of reading more about the interconnections between the trees. I was already working on interconnectedness of human relationships in my work and the parallels which I was able to draw between human relationships and various parts of the trees, fungi, algae, lichens just really resonated with me. The outpouring of all these readings and ponderings were the art works created for this debut show at Art Alive Gallery.
What inspired the shift from acrylic, charcoal, oil pastels, ink to fabric, dyeing your own fabric and textiles?
It has been a long journey, I worked in various mediums to come to this point, mainly in the realism style. I always used to feel something was lacking in my practice, that is the reason I continued trying and experimenting with new mediums to satisfy this inner quest. The shift to using fabric was very gradual and organic. It gave me an intense feeling of satisfaction to dye with Indigo vat and the feeling that the search was finally over, more like homecoming. Even though, since the last 5 years I am mainly working with only two colors, blue and crème, I feel they still have a lot of potential to be explored.
Can you talk about the research that went into creating this particular series?
The main research that was, and is still ongoing is on my indigo vat. It is like a child that needs constant nurturing in the balance of its ingredients. The history of Indigo dates back to early civilizations and India has had a rich socio-cultural history with Indigo. As I experiment with the colour, I really dig deep into the cultural history of our country.
Besides that, I am still continuing to read about the fascinating world of fungi and lichens. My latest read is an award-winning book Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake which gives an in-depth insight into these extra ordinary organisms.
What do you want the audience to take away from the show?
A feeling – an emotion, that’s what I want the audience to feel. As there are so many mediums put together in one art piece, I want a feeling of intrigue to be felt by the audience. That “intrigue” should be the take away from the show.
What are you working on next?
This practice has opened up a vast ocean for me, I want to intensify my practice, hone old techniques, add more interesting elements into my work, learn new techniques like paper making, weaving and ultimately use these to create a new body of work.
Words Hansika Lohani
Date 16-07-2025