Under the stewardship of Chanakya’s Artistic Director, Karishma Swali, 360 artisans from the Chanakya ateliers and Chanakya School of Craft used over 80 hand-embroidery techniques to highlight the textile’s unique capacity for detail, colour, texture. Highlighting the excellence of savoir faire, the works include fine examples of crochet, running stitch, back stitch, satin stitch and honeycomb techniques, leveraging materials such as cotton threads, kaccha resham (raw silk) and lurex to construct an esoteric, immersive environment.

Female goddesses such as Potnia Theròn, Isis and Shitala Mata are accompanied by various animals and set against a vegetal background of palm trees and other plants typical of the Mediterranean.

Marta’s delicate and powerful tribute to the goddesses of the ancient world is further enhanced by the artisans at Chanakya and the Chanakya School, who layer thread upon thread within the works. The harmonious interplay of celestial, animal and human elements is brought to life by joining metal and silk threads to create a mindscape that is both luminous and mysterious; delicate and boundless.