Limelight for the labour of fashion

In 'Disobedient Objects', artists question the world of fashion and spotlight the labour behind the making of clothes

- Avantika Bhuyan

In the sun-kissed space of STIR Art Gallery in New Delhi, a large muslin scroll with a kurta sewn into it hangs from the ceiling.

Looming large in the middle of the arts space, the fabric features blood red flowers emerging from black vines—a metaphor for the state of women's desires within patriarchal societies and religious orthodoxies. In this Untitled work, ink has been used to mimic embroidery and question, “where do dreams go” through the ephemerality of the medium. This collaborative work is part of the ongoing An-nisa series, created by artist Arshi Irshad Ahmadzai with rafoogars (darners) from Najibabad, Uttar Pradesh. It reflects the desires of a community of women, who work on embroidery over songs and sisterhood (Ahmadzai grew up in Najibabad and has since then lived in India and Afghanistan). Now based in Germany, she is known for combining textile and text to interrogate the agency, or lack of it, of Muslim women in South Asia.

This work signals protest within the larger exhibition, Disobedient Objects: The Biography of Clothes, curated by Sreyansi Singh. Featuring eight designers and artists, including Debashish Paul, Ahmadzai, Anuj Sharma, Ashita Singhal and RKIVE City, the show explores clothes-making as a layered sociopolitical practice within contemporary art, beyond the conventional frameworks of consumption.

"Can the material and labour involved in its making carry the ultimate meaning instead of design?" asks Singh, who focuses on textile art with an emphasis on experimental and underrepresented approaches in contemporary South Asian cultures.

The majority of the works have been created specifically for the show. "We wanted to talk about disembodied garments, clothes that are not occupied by the wearer. The artists focus on materiality and labour—the choices that people make when they design the garment," says Singh. This has resulted in a diverse set of works in