Existential paradigms – Series of works on textile with embroidery and appliqué by Aditi Raman
Palak Dubey

The immensely intriguing works by Aditi Raman bring forth the changing and mutating terrains of her immediate surroundings perceived by her with open arms and an all absorbing sensibility. She subtly removes the veil from the intricately embedded wounds and delves deep into the fine crevices that exist within the visibly quiet façade of the society, like an ever flowing undercurrent.


The aesthetically charming/pleasing motifs included in the works are balanced with the bolt contrasts that exemplify the realistic -darker areas which exist in a woman’s life in varying degrees and forms. The medium which she works with helps her to weave together multiple forms and textures into a seamless visual allegory. Embroidery and stitching is a prominent part of her artistic oeuvre and expression. Like an ardent story teller she picks up her forms and stitches them onto the surface of her work with passion and prowess. She assimilates myriad metaphors and motifs into her visual vocabulary that enhance her diction and accent. The works amalgamate realistic and abstract, experienced and imagined, thoughtful and melancholy, emotional upheavals- at the same time.

The women centric concepts uncover the paradigms that define ‘womanhood’. The conventional standards that weigh heavy on women’s identity are brought forth with a piercing sharpness that makes no attempt at toning down or decreasing the intensity of the excruciating pain that such fetters cause.

One of the installation works titled ‘women’ contains multiple small cushions arranged together in a haphazard and random rhythm. The cushions are composed inside large, identical- geometric forms on either sides of an acrylic sheet. The surrounding area contains textual excerpts from John Berger’s work, “Ways of seeing’. On one side iridescently hued cushions are arranged to represent the flamboyant, lively and effervescent characteristics of women. While the other side clubs together multiple black and white cushions which reinstate the unexposed, innate emotions, sacrifices, dilemmas and hidden desires that women possess secretly, veiled- deep within their entities.

Aditi works on a base which is soft, pliable and fluffy to hold. The character of the material reinstates and supports her dialogue to the fullest. There cannot be a better choice of base to depict the sensitivity and emotional fragility of women than a soft cushion/quilt. The easily penetrable, vulnerable and appealing tactility of the cushion is a strong symbol. And yet the innate character of the soft cushion is also to get back to its original shape instantly no matter how severely it is pressed. This aspect of the medium reflects the innate strengths and instinctual resilience of women.