A new exhibition celebrates Mumbai through nostalgia

The series of 12 works includes several structures like the Kala Ghoda, Regal Circle, Ballard Pier among others. Pics Courtesy/47-A

Somehow it always goes back to the 1990s these days. Kailash Poojary remembers them well. Before he became designer, and founder of the atelier, VV Exports, Poojary was a student in the city. "Any shoot for a fashion magazine happened in the lanes of Colaba and [Flora] Fountain. Walking down those streets, and looking up at those buildings, was always inspiring to me," he says. Now, those structures find new expression in the atelier's latest exhibition, Echoes of Bombay at 47-A in Khotachi Wadi.

Kailash Poojary (standing) coordinates with a team member on the embroidered recreation of the map of old Bombay

Leading an atelier that has produced garments and high couture for the MET Gala, the Academy Awards, and the Golden Globes, Poojary admits that he was looking to evolve. "Textile art in recent years has evolved far beyond what it was," he shares. It spurred his decision to move embroidery from within the confines of garment into art.

This required, quite literally, a map. Having conceptualised the idea in the first half of 2024, Poojary and his team of five worked on research by acquiring archival photographs, including a Colonial map of Bombay and its seven islands that set the tone.

A view of the completed map of the seven islands on display

The collection of 12 works was created using delicate aari needlework. Working on both, the reverse and straight, sides of the fabric gave them texture. From the Ballard Pier to the iconic Kala Ghoda, Bhendi Bazar and Regal Circle are part of the collection.

Gallerist and curator, Srila Chatterjee points out, "Aari work and zardozi were never used for pictures. It was used for embellishment of garments. This [series] is a tribute to a city done with such delicate craft. What I loved about it is that an atelier has taken this art form outside of its usual confines to make people look at it differently."

Kailash Poojary

The archival recreation makes this difference telling. Describing The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, one of his favourite structures, Poojary says, "It is the way the structure looked in the past, and we have created it in the past. Lesser crowds." It was a quieter world.

FROM Today to March 15; 11 am to 7 pm
AT 47-A, Khotachi Wadi, Girgaum.