Alchemy

EXPLORATIONS IN INDIGO

Alchemy: Exploration in Indigo was presented at the Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum, Ahmedabad, in January 2019 as a pioneering exhibition exploring indigo as both material and medium. Presented within the museum's restored 1930s house extension, originally designed by Claude Batley and restored by Rahul Mehrotra Associates, the exhibition brought contemporary artistic practice into dialogue with an important work of architectural heritage.

Conceived by Sanjay Lalbhai, inspired by indigo's enduring significance in India's textile heritage and Arvind Ltd.'s longstanding association with the dye, the exhibition was creatively realised by Vipul Mahadevia, with curatorial support from Anupa Mehta and historical research by Megha Todi, whose contextual installation situated the commissioned works within the wider linguistic, scientific, cultural and political histories of indigo.

Bringing together contemporary artists, designers, traditional craft practitioners, master indigo dyers and researchers from diverse cultural and geographical contexts, the exhibition invited participants to investigate indigo's material qualities and artistic potential. Working closely with the museum and exhibition team, artists expanded indigo's application beyond textiles, exploring its interaction with wood, sandstone, clay, metal, paper, resin, canvas, natural fibres and handcrafted textiles. The resulting commissions—spanning sculpture, installation, painting and textile based practices—revealed indigo's remarkable versatility across materials and forms.

The exhibition laid the conceptual and curatorial foundation for the Indigo Art Museum. Today, visitors can continue to experience this legacy through works by Alwar Balasubramaniam, Amit Ambalal, Tanya Goel, Manisha Parekh, Annie Morris, Based Upon and Idris Khan, which remain on view as part of the museum's permanent collection.