19 Sep Bagh Abstract Gardens
I visited ‘Bagh- Abstract Gardens’ at the Brunei Gallery, London last week. It is such a moving and inspiring exhibition! It took me back to my childhood in India. Bagh (meaning garden) are embroidered shawls that are so densely stitched with counted thread embroidery (Phulkari) that the background cloth is not visible. My mum had inherited a few from my grandmother and I loved their lumninous colours and abstract patterns as a child. Later, I learnt more about their history as domestic textiles that were made by mothers and grandmothers to be gifted daughters for wearing on their wedding day. I learnt about the precision required in stitching them and how it took years to make a bagh – a true labour of love! Curated by eminent textile collector Karun Thakar, the Baghs at the exhibition are astonishingly beautiful and poignant- a testament to the anonymous hands who made them with such love and care, and stitched so many stories that still remain untold. Please go see it if you can, open till 25 Sep!
