Join Ekta Kaul for a richly illustrated hour exploring kantha — the stitched and quilted cloth of the Indian subcontinent, whose ethos is rooted in sustainability, storytelling and mindfulness. In this tradition, discarded fabrics are layered, embroidered and lovingly repurposed into textiles for everyday use or display. Drawing on her years of research — travelling in Bengal and through museum and private collections across India, the US and the UK — Ekta will trace kantha from its origins to its vibrant reinvention in the hands of
artists working today.
The conversatation will begin with history and tradition: where kantha comes from, the culture that shaped it, and the ethos of thrift, care and storytelling in women’s voices that lies at its
heart. She will share insights and examples gathered over many years of looking closely at these quilts.
From there you will turn to a taxonomy of kantha — the many types and regional styles the word encompasses. Looking at how to tell them apart, from the illustrative kantha alive with botanical, animal and human figures, to the geometric kantha built from patterned bands and borders, and consider the meanings and symbolism stitched into them.
Finally, you explore the contemporary reimagining of the tradition: how a new generation of artists and makers is carrying kantha forward into fresh territory. Ekta will share examples of inspiring contemporary work alongside pieces from her own practice, and reflect on what it means to honour a living tradition while making it your own.
There will be plenty of time for questions at the end. Come along to look closely, ask freely, and leave with a deeper appreciation of one of the world’s most quietly remarkable textile traditions.
Date
Wednesday, July 8th, 2026
Time
12:00 – 1:30 pm
Cost
Tickets for this event are sold on a sliding scale with a suggested donation of $25, but if you wish to pay less or more than the suggested donation, you may select a different amount from the drop-down menu.
As always, we are grateful for your support, which ensures the continuation and preservation of textile knowledge. Thank you for making this series possible.
Tatter Library is a registered 501(c)3. Our speaker series is part of our community programming and proceeds support the continued success of our talks with artists, scholars, and historians we admire. For this event, all ticket proceeds will go towards keeping this series alive.
Location
Zoom, a link will be sent to participants before the event.
Our Teacher
Ekta Kaul is an artist known for works that explore narratives of place, home and belonging through a cartographic lens, expressed in thread drawings and abstract paintings. Place is examined through a lens of personal and collective histories. Ekta’s interest in nature, poetry and photography inspires marks and textures in her works, while the experience of displacement, cultural memory is often expressed through the colour palette. Her work is held in notable international collections including the Crafts Council (London), Morgan Stanley (India), the London Museum (UK), the Gunnersbury Museum (UK), and the Tatter Blue Library (USA). She has exhibited widely, including at the Saatchi Gallery and Collect in London.
She trained at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, and earned her masters degree in the UK. Her practice has been featured on BBC Radio 4 and in publications including Vogue, Living Etc, Financial Times, Selvedge, and Embroidery magazines.
Her book Kantha: Sustainable Textiles and Mindful Making, published by Bloomsbury (UK), was shortlisted for the 2025 R. L. Shep Memorial Book Award, recognizing the most outstanding book in the field of global cultural heritage textile studies. Ekta is regularly invited to lecture at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and was the featured artist at the V&A during London Craft Week 2025. She is the recipient of the Cockpit Arts Textile Prize (2021), Crafts Council’s Next Move award (2008), Charles Wallace Scholarship (2005) and now serves on its Board of Trustees- the first Asian woman, as well as past scholar, to do so. Ekta lives and works in London.
www.ektakaul.com
Insta @ekta_kaul
www.youtube.com/@ektakaulart