In His Own Right: An Exhibition on the life and work of Maneklal Gajjar | Mala Pradeep Sinha & Suchitra Balasubrahmanyan | February 23 - 27, 2023

India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) invites you to
In His Own Right:
The Life and Work of Maneklal Gajjar, Block Maker and Master Craftsman
An exhibition curated by Mala Pradeep Sinha and Suchitra Balasubrahmanyan

February 23 - 27, 2023 | 10:30 AM to 05:30 PM
BODHI, Vadodara
889/4 GIDC Makarpura Industrial Estate, Makarpura, Vadodara, Gujarat 390010

and a conversation

The Maneklal Gajjar I Knew
Dr Ismail Khatri (master craftsman, Bhuj) | Errol Pires (textile designer, NID) | Kalpana Parekh (owner, Fantasia boutique) | Veena Gajjar (Maneklal’s eldest daughter)

February 25, 2023 | 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM | BODHI, Vadodara

This exhibition, as part of the grant given to Mala Pradeep Sinha and her collaborator Suchitra Balasubrahmanyan, celebrates the life and work of Maneklal Gajjar (1928-2012), textile block maker and master craftsman from Pethapur, Gujarat. Maneklal transcended the conventional boundaries between craft and design and received national awards and international acknowledgement for his work by dint of his own personality, initiative and wisdom.

Through materials selected from Maneklal’s vast archive of his designs, correspondence with clients, books of accounts, photographs and films, one meets a modern personality who is self-conscious and self-reflexive. We catch a glimpse of his work, and the shaping of his aesthetic and social persona.

Alongside the immersive exhibition, Mala and Suchitra will also be producing a detailed and illustrated biography of Maneklal.

Mala Pradeep Sinha is a textile designer based in Vadodara, Gujarat.

Suchitra Balasubrahmanyan is an independent scholar.

Image Credits: Maneklal Gajjar, Mala Pradeep Sinha and Suchitra Balasubrahmanyan

Mala Pradeep Sinha received a grant from India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) under the Arts Research programme, made possible with support from Parijat Foundation.