This textile exhibition is unique for the connection it draws between Tibetan monks, Benarasi weavers and Himalayan ceremonial brocades. Presented by one of South Asia-s leading art collectors, Czaee Shah, Between Land & Sky - Woven Gold from the Gyaser Tradition opens today at Gallery Maskara. And it strikes a delicate balance. While on one hand, it maps the story of the "other Silk Route" which saw monks and merchants inspired by the silk tapestry of China reach out to master weavers in Benaras, on the other, it celebrates the design intervention by textile designer duo Swati and Sunaina.

Gyaser is a type of Tibetan brocade with a warp of silk and a weft of silk and zari, giving it a rich appearance. It was the perfect amalgamation of Chinese Buddhist satin-silk designs and the artistry of Muslim weavers from Benaras. The ceremonial tapestries that were once imported from China, after the 1800s, began to be made in India after Tibetan monks grew impressed with the brocade weaving techniques of Mughal-era craftsmen.