Sayambrita Mukherjee
Mother of All
This piece of work represents the Mother Earth and mother of all, connected to soil and garden. The main embroidery used is the 'Kantha' stitch or the running stitch that is conventional to West Bengal in India. I find the Kantha stitch very soothing and less demanding.
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It is almost meditative to follow the steps of kantha and with time and consistency it creates a bigger beautiful picture. Many women in my sewing group enjoy it as it gives them an opportunity to slow down and be mindful.
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The most important relationship to me is that of a mother and her children. It is a rather unique bond whether they are linked biologically or not. There are different definitions of motherhood and the key is the fostering nature.
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Coming from Indian culture, we are always taught to sacrifice for, and put the child first. This might not be the best for the mother at times...but it is very deep rooted in me. The parent is also like a gardener tending to its garden and creating an environment for the garden to flourish. Eventually they have to let go... Motherhood teaches selflessness and letting go without expectations. My artwork shows the mother holding the child, making sure that she will be safe, but ready to let go, although she is a young child. Keeping the trust that things will turn out well, just like the decision we take when we hope. Hope is a decision and needs to be actively lived-out on a daily basis. The Mother Earth sits back with all her experiences and encourages us to hope. The child sitting on her lap symbolizes taking that hope forward.
Embroidered picture of mother and child.
Embroidered picture of mother and child.
I started off as a visual artist working in varied mediums like canvas, acrylic, clay, textile etc., moving into multi-disciplines slowly. My creative journey is based on community engagement and social impact, along with mental wellbeing. It is also how I express my grief and loss.
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One of my biggest challenges was to be uprooted from my family home in Kolkata (India) when I was just 5 years old. Living my early years in a joint family, having the warmth and security of aunties, uncles, cousins and grandmother, it was where I drew my strength and confidence. When I moved at the age of 5 it changed something, and the story of my life has been such that every 2-3 years we moved from one city in India to another.
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After growing up and being a parent also I have moved countries. Art was my new sense of security by then and my immediate nuclear family my source of strength. Moving out of India to Hong Kong I terribly missed home, family and friends, the familiarity etc. Art became my catharsis and coping resource. It helped me through my lows there and Hong Kong became home for 3 years.
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I have been in Bristol for almost 8 years now, and my experiences here culminate in my medium of art and themes. I enjoy working with groups. Facilitating workshops has been key to my growth and I have recently completed a year of my upcycled textile group 'Community Threads'. I am also a mental health peer support worker and Health Ambassador.
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I feel drawn to slow stitching and embroidery which is the dominant medium of my work in this exhibition. To me, this process also acts like a determination not to follow the rat-race and the constant need to produce. We are governed by a capitalistic society, therefore I think it helps to be non-purposive sometimes and simply be mindful.