ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Cut from the Same Cloth (2017 – 2023) is initiated as a universal odyssey dedicated to exploring the self and its relationship with the spiritual cosmos. Inspired by the motif of the universal thread or bloodline that runs through each of us, Kohli turns, in this project, to a new medium: embroidery. Here, she is guided by the verses of the weaver saints, Kabir, Nanak, Namdev, Baba Farid, Bulleh Shah and Shah Hussain, who taught that the body and soul were the warp and weft of a majestic cloth; two separate threads, woven together to produce the grand garment that is life. The project consists of cloth artworks, embroidered with silk and cotton threads, beads, and sequins on untreated canvas. In addition, there are 2 works on Banarasi gold tissue that bring together painting and embroidery and 3 paintings on canvas in acrylic colors with gold and silver leaf. The series coalesces around the very material experience of human physicality, playing with the presence of the human body not just through subject matter and motif but also through the labour intensive hand-techniques of weaving and stitching. Together, the entire assemblage celebrates the nuances of life, playfully exploring different pathways to reach nirvana, the final liberation.