The Hindu : New Delhi News : All about spinning a story

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 08, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

All about spinning a story

Staff Reporter

COLOURS GALORE: Painting with threads

NEW DELHI: Painting with threads, two young men -- Rahul Jain and Gunjan Arora -- have decided to take the brave step of doing more with fabric. All about spinning a story, the old cliché, might actually have a new aspect to it after a visit to the exhibition "My Image..My Memories -- Tale of Transition in A Woman's Journey''.

"There has been a tremendous response to the exhibition. I have been a counsellor and travelled around the world. This is not the story of one woman; it is the story of every woman. They lose their sense of identity at some time,'' said Rahul Jain, who is the `business mind' behind the project. Painting a whole new world with thread, for once, it is an exhibition that is really different. While the technique of their art is unusual, there is also the theme of the everyday woman through the eyes of two men. "My Image..My Memories -- Tale of Transitions in A Woman's Life'' is really a look at the universal woman with all her shades of complexity from a different point of view.

"India has such a wonderful tradition of textiles, but we have very few contemporary artists in textile. These two have done a fantastic job by using thread as paints. They play with the light and dark and have created a vibrant kind of painting. There is no waft or weft,'' said curator Jasleen Dhamija.

From long scrolls weaving different aspects of a person's life to smaller portraits about the inner self of women, they aim to add a new dimension to the art world: not with the wet world of paint, but with cloth.

"Satya Paul was here yesterday for half an hour. He said that the sky is the limit with this technology. I told Gunjan that painting is not about the brush. Once you do something with thread, you can't go back. People have just been amazed what you can do with thread,'' says Rahul.

And for those who want to tell their own stories, Rahul and Gunjan provide the option of a personalised scroll. A little like getting your portrait done, the duo have made one for Sonal Mansingh. With her eyes, her bindi and even her mudra on the scroll, it is your space frozen in fabric. The exhibition will remain open till August 15 at Connoisseur D' Art in Defence Colony.

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