Black Cube Gallery in New Delhi is presenting Threads of Tradition, a solo exhibition of new works by Thota Vaikuntam, running from November 6 through 30, 2025. The exhibition marks a departure in medium for the celebrated 82-year-old artist, known for his figurative paintings of Telangana’s rural communities.
For this collection, Vaikuntam has translated his iconic imagery into three-dimensional embroidery, collaborating with the Shams family of Agra, sixteenth-generation masters of zardozi embroidery who have practiced the craft for over three centuries. The works feature silk zardozi embroidery on velvet, embellished with precious and semi-precious gemstones.
The pieces retain the visual elements characteristic of Vaikuntam’s paintings—saturated reds, ochres, and blacks; stylized faces and postures; ornate jewelry and garments, while introducing tactile and dimensional qualities through the embroidery medium.
“This body of work is not a departure from Vaikuntam’s practice but an extension of it,” according to the exhibition statement. “The artist’s deep engagement with the lives, rituals, and appearances of Telangana’s people continues to be central. Through embroidery, his characters acquire a sculptural weight and shimmer, as though materialized from textile itself.”
Vaikuntam, born in 1942, trained at Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda under Indian modern art pioneer K.G. Subramanyan. He has received numerous awards, including the Bharat Bhavan Biennale Award in 1999 and the National Award for Painting from the Government of India in 1993. He lives and works in Hyderabad.
The exhibition describes the collaboration as “a singular moment of convergence between canvas and craft,” where “the line between painting and textile art” dissolves as craft honors fine art.
Threads of Tradition is on view at Black Cube Gallery, G12A Hauz Khas, New Delhi, through November 30, 2025. Gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 12 to 6 PM. The exhibition is presented by Sanya Malik’s Black Cube.
Image Courtesy: Black Cube Gallery and the artist.
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