Cloth, Iconography, and Cultural Memory is a guided viewing of Khadi, a Canvas that foregrounds the processes, philosophies, and creative encounters that shaped the exhibition. 

Influenced by the ideology of Bapu, Mahatma Gandhi, and inspired by the service of Mapu, Martand Singh, Khadi, a Canvas was conceptualised by curator and textile revivalist Lavina Baldota to celebrate khadi as both a material and a symbol. Working in collaboration with textile artist Gaurang Shah and a cluster of weavers from Srikakulam, the two developed a tribute to Gandhi’s khadi by creating khadi works bearing Raja Ravi Varma iconography. The result is a series of saris that speak to the ways in which these two stalwarts of Indian history and their intersecting legacies not only redefined modes of expression, visual identity, and autonomy, but shaped contemporary India’s capacity to appreciate, engage with, and sustain art and craft as fundamental elements of daily life and independence. 

Gaurang Shah unpacks the technical innovations underpinning the project, offering insight into the meticulous craft processes, material negotiations, and contemporary strategies that shaped the exhibition’s production. Lavina Baldota contextualises the exhibition within broader histories of textile revival, cultural memory, and a personal passion for craft. Together, the walkthrough traces the journey from commission to adaptation to final creation, exploring khadi’s malleability, ingenuity, and deep entanglement with Mahatma Gandhi’s ideas of self-reliance.