Point and I will follow

Point and I will follow' by Shezad Dawood presents 2 panels making a single fragmented image. The work plays with depth, perspective and the movement of bodies in space, utilizing the textured surface of the hand-embroidered vintage textile. It deals as much with choreography, as it does with quantum shift and metaphysical potentiality.

Dawood interweaves histories, realities and symbolism to create richly layered artworks. The original textiles, from which Dawood’s works are based, were created by nomadic weavers in South Asia through the 1970s. Composed of discarded scraps from textile factories, the fabrics also attest to an earlier, more utopian globalisation, where patterns from Lagos, Kyoto, Shanghai and the Netherlands all informed the palette of pattern and colour. By working with the textiles’ pre-existing narratives and highlighting their resonance with other cultural phenomena, Dawood questions the established binaries between different value systems and cultures.

The works were featured as part of the exhibition 'Connecting Threads: Textiles in Contemporary Practice'. The exhibition was curated by Tasneem Zakaria Mehta and Puja Vaish and attempts to trace textile practices, traditions and histories in Contemporary Indian Art.