Personal struggles and a search for freedom emerge through the sewn canvases of Gurjeet Singh’s latest exhibition, Dreamers
Gurjeet Singh (in red shirt and turban) with the Jaipur artisans
Readers of a generation will recall the sound of the foot paddle in the Singer sewing machine. Once a mainstay of every home in India, it is now a piece of nostalgia. But the stitches they made could tell stories by themselves. Gurjeet Singh is more than familiar with these stories, and their deeper contexts. His latest exhibition, Dreamers, is a collaboration with artisans and weavers from Jaipur Rugs to create shapes, forms and textures that speak of such personal journeys.
Growing up in the village of Algon Kothi, 50 kms from Amritsar, Singh would observe his mother and four elder sisters always taking up stitching and embroidering projects. As an artist, his search for new forms saw him turn back home. “I found this process enjoyable, creative and open to the possibilities of telling stories,” he reveals.
I want to go home, 2025, Gurjeet Singh
The journey to Dreamers though began in 2023 when Jaipur Rugs reached out to the artist for a residency programme. “I found the story of the foundation, and their work resonating with my own. I recognised the struggles of those artisans from an underprivileged background, and wanted to discuss it,” he shares.
The artwork, The Portraits of Boogli and her Mother. Pics Courtesy/Chemould Prescott Road Gallery
The 31-year-old spent over a month travelling across Jaipur, meeting the artisans and collecting stories. “The skills on the loom might be passed down through tradition, and perhaps even fading, but each one adds a certain individuality to the works they create,” Singh points out. The visits were not limited to villages like Aspura, Narhet, Kushal Singh Ki Dhani, Aager, Sadwa and Amer — built around these communities. “I was also allowed to visit the Jaipur Central Jail, where the inmates work on rugs and looms,” he adds. These shapes, stories and expressions found their way into the seven artworks that will be on display in the city.
Bahu Mukhiya
In the backdrop of these experiences, the title of Dreamers immediately finds context. It also opens up the artist’s approach to material. Singh shares, “I had to find a material that would define my language of expression. We opted for sari silk that was used again as weave in carpets. I also wanted to make the works more interactive in terms of texture. I wanted to play with that form, while giving the artisans their own freedom.”
A view of the works, Black Sun, 2025
Freedom is a key part of these expressive works. Singh recalls the story of Boogli, a young weaver and collaborator, and says, “When I visited her house, I thought only she worked the loom. I soon realised that her mother also weaved, whilst remaining in the shadows. For instance, when I asked [the mother], if she travelled in a plane for an award, and she demurely looked around and answered ‘Who will let me go?’ That one sentence speaks of a lot many things. And her weave becomes a metaphor for her own unsaid dreams.”
ON May 8, 6 pm onwards (preview); May 9 to June 7
AT Chemould Prescott Road Gallery, Queens Mansion, Colaba.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
