If there is one thing holding Lipika Bhargava’s life together, it’s thread. A Bharatanatyam dancer who switched to contemporary dance once she joined college, Bhargava always knew she had a creative side – but it was only after a post-graduate diploma in painting and an additional batch of sculpting classes that she knew she had to switch completely to the visual arts.
Bhargava’s experiments with embroidery are entirely self-taught and self-directed. She began embroidering seriously soon after she graduated in economics from Hansraj College in New Delhi.
“My inspiration has been my mother,” said the 24-year-old artist. “She used to stitch clothes for us when we were kids. I always wanted to use threads to make art because the material itself is so fragile but it can be used to build stronger appearances. Life is a lot like that, the threads become a metaphor for struggle, complexities, and vulnerability.”
Bhargava uses graphite to draw and embroiders with red thread on the drawings, which makes her style distinct. “In my work, the colour red creates a strong presence against a faint background,” she said. “Those threads can be anything you choose them to be, but their presence make the composition more permanent.”
Bhargava said her inspiration always comes from a small experience, thought or feeling. “Sometimes, the process is inverted, where I start with nothing in mind and develop a concept as I keep at it,” she said. “I work alone, and the space I work in is very intimate. When I work with people their experiences get attached with mine. The end product of that process is beautiful too, and helps trigger new ideas.” Contemporary Indian artists by whom she is influenced include Mithu Sen, Nikhil Chopra and Pushpamala N.
Bhargava has worked with Sen as an assistant for the past year. “Mithu is a wonderful artist and just being in her presence teaches me so much,” she said. “The one thing that has impacted my own practice has been Mithu’s way of materialising her ideas into different art forms. I’ve learned not to be afraid of my ideas, not to debate their relevance but give them time to grow, adding layers to make it more concrete.”
Bhargava also collaborates with her sister Chitrika Bhargava, who writes poems to accompany the embroidered pieces for their weekly project #yourwordsaremyword. “Words have never come naturally to me,” said Lipika Bhargava. “I have so much to say but can never find the right vocabulary. The whole idea of starting the project was to celebrate a shared understanding of each other’s struggles and not be afraid to reveal our vulnerable sides.”
Bhargava draws, both on paper and on a computer. “I’ve been experimenting and trying to find my voice,” she said. “Working with embroidery hoops and threads I place myself at the centre of all compositions. The series encompasses notions of memory – building fictional details and simultaneously erasing unwanted parts.”
Bhargava said she is likely to start selling her art soon. “The response has been positive and it feels liberating to receive feedback and connect with like minded people,” she said. “But at some level, I don’t think I can ever be satisfied with it. That’s what keeps me going!”
