Q. As mentioned in your book, textile-fibre art is not a widely practised genre in India. What do you think is lacking in the Indian art space to not push artists in this direction?
A. It may be that the sheer volume of amazing textiles all over the country is in itself such an impetus for creativity that it can satisfy any creative output. But also, in India, the institutions teaching fine arts and design are kept separate, giving no opportunity for cross fertilisation of ideas between disciplines. This is different in most other countries where fine arts and design are taught in the same colleges and students are able to move freely from one to another. It is interesting to note that most artists in the final chapter (in the book) did post graduation overseas in multi-disciplinary colleges. Also, it seems that there is some reluctance in some art galleries in India to show textiles, though this is slowly changing.

Abdulaziz Ali Mohammad Khatri, Multi Kandha, detail of textile length, bandhini on silk, untied but left to twist tightly in its own texture. Pics courtesy/Unfolding Contemporary Indian textiles, niyogi books