Threading Stories

Kolhapur-based artist Asmita Potdar has been making hand embroidered items for the past 25 years,but she admits that there is no common idea that runs through her collections . “My inspirations are varied – I make portraits of old people,and also landscapes of trees and flowers. They are all different,” she says. Fifty of Potdar’s embroidery works are currently on display at Darpan Art Gallery on Senapati Bapat road. Part of the collection is the portrait of a Rajasthani farmer that won her a National Award from the Ministry of Textiles in 2007. Her work titled Bhartiya Kisan had received a National Merit Certificate Award from the Ministry of Textiles in 2000,and in 2005,Nav Vadhu was honoured with a National Award at the Anchor All India Embroidery Contest held in Bengaluru.

Potdar’s first motivation came from her mother,who was also an embroidery artist. At the age of 12,she started creating embroidered birds and flowers,and her fascination with nature has continued. “The biggest challenge of embroidery is that it’s extremely time-consuming,” she reflects. “Some works can take up to a year to finish.” In spite of the time and energy she has put in over the years to produce close to 90 embroidered works,Potdar has found time to write two books and tour the USA and some European countries with her collections. “They are all single-thread pieces and demand undivided focus. There is no margin for a mistake,” she says of her collection.

Potdar’s work is characterised by dedication to detail. Her portrait of the Rajasthani farmer is awe-inspiring in which every wrinkle of skin and cloth stands out clearly; the effects of light and shadow resemble the finesse of a painting . Like her choice of subjects,her threads too are versatile. For the portraits of Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa,she has used grey human hair,while silver wire features in the Ashok Stambha and Woman Gazing In Mirror.

The 47-year old has also been conducting training classes for women for the past two decades. This month-long training is held once every year and aims to preserve the art of traditional embroidery. She is also a drawing teacher,but plans to retire soon. “That’s why I don’t talk about it much,” she chuckles. Once she has quit her job,she wants to focus on building an art institute that will focus on handicrafts like embroidery,papier-mâché works,traditional jewelery-making and more. “I have the plan ready. I am waiting for the government to help me with the land for it,” she says.

The exhibition is on from 11am to 8pm,till November 8