New Delhi, Oct 13 (PTI) An amazing union of Indian craftsmanship with contemporary art is what Italian artist Tarshito has achieved over the years, and a glimpse of it can now be seen at the Italian Cultural Centre which is hosting an exhibition of his landmark works. Nicola Strippoli, popularly known by his Sanskrit name Tarshito, has worked extensively with Indian craftsmen, internalising in his art a series of specialities -- be it the the embroidery of Kutch, the patchwork from Bihar or applique work from Bengal. The exhibition -- 'The Circle of Making-I and II' -- that opened on October 11 showcases round 40 works of Tarshito, most of which he created over the last 10 years or so, as he enriched his experiences by travelling around India to interact first hand with men of crafts. My parents gave me some money for a travel after I completed my architecture and my girlfriend loved to travel to India. This is how I first came to India. I was much impressed and wanted to know more about meditation and spirituality. I travelled to Rishikesh, to Dharamshala and also met Osho, says Tarshito. The journey which he started in search of a spiritual identity, however, metamorphosed into a greater finding of the rich traditions of India, manifested to him in the form of multifarious Indian arts and crafts. I found this richness of tradition in India. Crafts are like a language of humanity, it does not matter who you are and whether you come from Italy or anywhere. I feel myself more humane inside working with these people, says the artist who has worked in tandem with several craftsmen for his works. The exhibition on display, curated by Laila Tyabji of Dastkar, captures the story of his association with the grassroots. He makes it sure to credit the men and women who have contributed to his works. One of the highlights of the exhibition is an Ambassador car with a boundary-less map of the world designed on it. So are a set of his works he classifies as displaying 'mixed geography' where he visualises international boundaries being blurred in maps where India is shown connected to Italy and Saudi Arabia shares its borders with Antarctica. I envision a world where boundaries are irrelevant and peace prevails over conflict, he says. The exhibition coincides with the Venice Biennale and the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy. On the occasion, all the 89 Italian cultural centres around the world are putting up exhibitions of Italian artists active in their respective areas. Tarshito's first creative journey to India in 1986 resulted in the production of 'Carpets of Meditation' in 1987 following which he held a series of working relationships with highly skilled master craftsmen. The forms of crafts he adopted into his work include embroidery, terracotta modelling and miniature painting, among others. It's amazing to see how Tarshito makes it a point to give credit to the craftsmen and women who work with him. Here again in this series you see their names. Moreover, he is not a foreign artist who uses Indian craftsmen as passive hands but they are very active in creativity when they work with him, says Tayyabji. Tarshito's association with Laila began when the two met 12 years ago and Tarshito expressed his desire to work with Indian weavers and artisans. I wanted to highlight the richness of Indian symbols, the way folks in rural areas live and how spiritual they are. In this exhibition, I have amalgamated geography with spirituality, he says. The highlights of the exhibition includes Tarshito's 'Warriors of love' series wherein he puts in his philosophy of a conflict-less world, depicting men and women with flowers as their hands. The beauty of the flowers is inside you. In my vision, this is a world where all weapons are replaced by flowers and what results are the 'warriors of love', he says. The exhibition will continue till November 27.
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