In the quiet spaces within Gallery Veda, striking portraits of Waheeda Rehman decked the screens, luxurious diamonds were set up on on blood red rubies and racks of striking clothes woven from metal, lined the bare walls. Modern Classic, a fashion, arts and jewellery exhibition curated by Antara Tulsyan, brought together designer Rimzim Dadu, artist Kanchan Chander and the curator herself, resulting in a melange of genres that revolved around the theme of reinvention, last week.
Antara, who is also the director of Gallery Veda, initially conceptualised the show as a means to display her own range of designs. She then decided upon Rimzim and Kanchan, both artists whose work is not often displayed in the city. She said, “The collections on display reinvent the old through form, shape or material. A three-dimensional, chiselled quality is what ties the various pieces together, understanding fashion as a work of art.”
Portraits of veteran actresses, serving as a bold backdrop to the aesthetics of fashion, caught one’s eye instantly. Through a series titled Hollywood-Bollywood, Delhi-based artist Kanchan Chander explored the concept of feminine energy, a concept that also resonated in her previous work titled Frida & Me. Presenting a technique of mixed media on paper, actresses like Devika Rani, Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn were bedecked with sequins, embellishments, lace and wrapping paper — a kitsch of elements that reimagined the original, vintage image. They almost seemed to look back at the viewer unrelentingly, forcing them to shed their institutionalised male gaze; breaking the narrative of female objectification in cinema and culture.
Gold earrings, neck pieces, rings and bracelets outlined Antara’s Aara Jewellery collection, which blended the traditional jadau style with modern rose cut diamonds. With a concept that reflected the artist’s background in sculpture, the versatile kada stood out — grand but light, adapting to contemporary tastes. Speaking about how her designs were the result of an intensive process, Antara said, “I believe that jewellery is also an art form and should not be locked and kept under glass boxes or cabinets. Easy accessibility ensures that people get to engage with the designs.”
Much like the jewellery, the clothing range experimented with the core aspects of materiality, manifesting through garments, shoes and bags. Inspired by the idea of movement that is frozen in time and sculpted in material, Rimzim’s latest collection was an array of jackets, tops and tunics sculpted from metal, leather and cords. Rimzim introduced pieces in rich jewel tones like gold, bronze and red and also touched upon a new perspective on handcrafted clothing.
Emphasising on how changing trends must be at the core of the process, Antara concluded, “To me, art is not about orders and customisation, but about transforming a part of yourself and allowing others to appreciate it.”
