Threads of Memory: 4 South Asian Textile Artists On Our Radar

In South Asia, textiles are more than just materials — they embody living histories and traditions. From the rhythm of looms in remote weaving clusters to the embroidered saris handed down through generations, fabric serves as a vessel for collective memory and meaning-making. Textiles tell stories of migration, belonging, devotion, labour, beauty, and survival. Engaging with cloth is, in many ways, engaging in a dialogue with the subcontinent itself.

Today, a new wave of artists is reclaiming and reimagining these ancient indigenous textile traditions. They choose textiles not only for their tactile richness but also for their capacity to hold emotion, identity, and time. Their work blurs the lines between art and craft, between the handmade and the mechanised. In an increasingly screen-mediated world, their approach feels both grounding and revolutionary — reminding us that tangibility still matters.

The four artists featured here — Sagarika Sundaram, Boshudhara Mukherjee, Bhasha Chakrabarti, and Viraj Khanna — treat fibre, thread, and fabric as living mediums. They intertwine histories, bodies, and memories to create works that are as sensuous as they are conceptual. Whether through Sundaram’s sculptural pieces, Mukherjee’s woven abstractions, Chakrabarti’s intimate textiles, or Khanna’s embroidered commentary, each artist pushes the boundaries of textiles’ contemporary relevance.

Sagarika Sundaram is a Kolkata-born Tamil artist currently based in New York. She spent much of her childhood in Dubai and earned an MFA in Textiles from Parsons/The New School in 2020. Her work has been exhibited at the Bronx Museum, Al Held Foundation, Moody Center at Rice University, British Textile Biennial, Chicago Architecture Biennial, and Salon 94. Sundaram creates sculptures, relief works, and installations using raw natural fibres and dyes. She is represented by Nature Morte and Alison Jacques gallery. Follow Sagarika Sundaram here.

Boshudhara Mukherjee studied painting at Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda and has been actively exhibiting her work since graduating in 2008. She was awarded the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant in 2013, the Inlaks Foundation Fine Art Award in 2010, and the Nasreen Mohamedi Foundation Scholarship in 2005-06. Driven by a desire to liberate canvas and fabric from purely functional roles, her work highlights organic growth and the evolution of forms that transcend confining frameworks. Follow Boshudhara Mukherjee here.

Bhasha Chakrabarti (born 1991 in Honolulu) is an artist who works across India and the U.S. Trained at Yale, her work includes painting and textiles, focusing on themes like the body, intimacy, and labour using materials such as jute and fabric. Inspired by devotional traditions and craft heritages, she regards fabric as both skin and memory. Her exhibitions include Experimenter, the Dhaka Art Summit, and the Museum of Art and Photography in Bangalore. She was also awarded the 2023 South Asia Artist Prize from UC Berkeley. Follow Bhasha Chakraborti here.

Viraj Khanna is a Kolkata-born visual artist working across collage, sculpture, painting, and textile arts. He studied Business Administration at the University of Southern California. During the COVID-19 lockdown, he started creating magazine collages shared on Instagram. Coming from a family involved in fashion and embroidery, Viraj often uses hand-embroidery on fabrics, traditional techniques like zardozi and aari, and mixed textiles in his art. His work frequently examines themes of identity, society’s role in shaping self-image, and the conflict between inner self and external appearances. Follow Viraj Khanna here.

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