Cosmic Garden: Indian Women's Empowerment Through Art at Venice Biennale

The Cosmic Garden exhibition, a collaboration between Indian artists Madhvi Parekh and Manu Parekh and Karishma Swali, founder of the Chanakya School of Craft in Mumbai, will be presented in Venice during the 60th Venice Biennale. Promoted by the Chanakya Foundation, the show runs from April 20 to November 24 at the Salone Verde – Art & Social Club, running parallel to the Biennale. It features multimedia works that challenge the concept of 'traditional art'. The exhibition starts with paintings and sculptures by the Parekhs, which are then transformed by Swali and 320 specialized artisans from the School of Craft (established in 2016) into new creations using embroidery techniques on contemporary forms and styles. Curated by Maria Alicata and Paola Ugolini, this is the first Italian presentation of these artists and artisans, honoring ancient Indian craft traditions through contemporary reinterpretation. The Chanakya School of Craft has previously collaborated with fashion and art figures like Maria Grazia Chiuri (Dior), Judy Chicago, Olesia Trofymenko, Mickalene Thomas, and Marta Roberti. Swali aims to highlight a dual emancipation: artistic, by challenging hierarchies between arts and crafts and preserving Indian tradition, and economic-social, by transmitting ancient skills to women, enabling them to become independent professionals. The exhibition is among the first selected for the Biennale's Collateral Events program.