Exploring ‘Kindling Change: Changing Face of Indian Crafts’ through ceramics and glass

The Serendipity Arts Festival, over four editions, has been committed to being multi-disciplinary in its approach. While various forms of arts are presented at the annual festival, the idea of representing traditional crafts is an integral part of its programming. Ceramic artist, writer, and curator Kristine Michael, who has had over 26 solo shows and is a recipient of many national and international awards, explored two media - clay and glass - in her curation titled ‘Kindling Change: Changing Face of Indian Crafts’. The exhibition aimed at uncovering the hidden narrative of transnational modernism within national art history.

Indian crafts, particularly post Independence, negotiated the ‘modern’ with the indigenous (or traditional) through a vast and varied terrain of aesthetic production. Beginning with the reworking of stylistic forms from pan-Asian and European influences, to that of Oriental and Western aesthetics, designers working with craft drew selectively from a range of artistic and aesthetic legacies of craftsmanship, iconography and mythological sources. “Through the installation of six key design interventions with craftsmen using the medium of ceramics and glass, the exhibition references transnational as well as national modernism, the development of a creative identity and new iconographies grappling with the dilemmas of tradition and independent artistic expression,” says Michael. STIR speaks to the curator and participating artists about their idea of this evolution.

Watch the video above.

(The participating artists are - Kavita Pandya and Titas Ganguly of Ochre Ceramics, Lipi Biswas of Studio Boner Pukur Danga, Vanmala Jain of Kuprakabi Ceramic Design Studio, Srila Mukherjee & Firozabad blown glass craftsmen, Swagata Naidu & NID Ustaad Project at Firozabad wi, Vineeta Oswal & Manoj Pilli of Studio Glassic)