Between presence and absence: signature, signature style and agency of the kalamkari makers

Abstract

Does the signature of an artisan or the signature style of a collective or individual practice fully account for the agency of their makers? An in-depth investigation of this issue, drawing on the theorisation of agency and identity, is presented while interpreting three kalamkari textiles of Southeastern India: a rare eighteenth-century kalamkari featuring an inscription in Telugu and two textiles by the late Nageswara Rao and Nandam Venkateswara Rao, Andhra Pradesh. A close visual analysis of the textiles is complemented by archival studies, interviews and insights drawn from dyeing processes to examine this issue. This study reflects on the interrelations between regional, collective and individual identities of the artisans and critically assesses the significance of artisanal processes to comprehend the makers’s merit. The interdependence of signature, signature style and the narratives of the kalamkari makers are set in conversation in this exploration to foreground artisanal voices and actions.

Keywords:

• Agency
• artisans
• kalamkari
• reconstruction
• signature

Acknowledgements

This study develops a key part of my doctoral thesis. I am grateful to Adivishnu Nandam, Uma Mahesh Nandam, Kondra Gangadhar, Nageswara Rao (son of Mukkantieswarudu Rao), Jagada Rajappa and Sarah Fee for extending their support to this study. The fieldwork in Southern India was supported by ‘Kau Shao Ching Graduate Travel Award in Art History,’ University of British Columbia (2015–2016), ‘IARTS Textiles of India Grant,’ the Royal Ontario Museum (2017–2018), and ‘Initiation Grant,’ IIT Kanpur (2022–2024).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The palampore is from coastal southeast India for the Western market. Cotton, hand-drawn, mordant dyed, resist-dyed, 328.8 × 214 cm, ROM 934.4.4. Harry Wearne Collection. Gift of Mrs. Harry Wearne. I am grateful to Sarah Fee, Karla Livingston and the members of the Textile Study Room, ROM, for generously assisting me with studying this textile and sharing their insights.

2 See Irwin and Brett, “Plate 13: Palampore,” “Plate 14: Palampore,” “Plate 15: Palampore,” “Plate 16. Colour Plate: Palampore,” and “Plate 17: Palampore,” in Origins of Chintz, pp. 72-74.

3 Interview with Nandam Venkateswara Rao in Pedana, June 2022.

4 Both resist drawing and direct drawing on textiles are done with kalam. However, in my text, I refer to direct drawing on fabric as kalam drawing.

5 Interview with Nageswara Rao (grandson of master dyer Nageswara Rao) in Polavaram, June 2019.

6 The konia chakra and mehrab textiles are featured in the catalogue of Master Weavers (No. 25-27, 2.8.1-3 Cotton hanging; 28-30, 2.9.1-3 Cotton hanging; 35, 2.11.3 Cotton spread, 36, 2.12.1 Cotton spread, and 37, 2.12.2 Cotton spread).

7 Interview with Nandam Venkateswara Rao in Pedana, June 2022.

8 Interview with Uma Mahesh Nandam in Pedana, June 2022.

9 Interview with Gangadhar Kondra in Pedana, June 2022. For further details on Gangadhar garu’s practice see Rajarshi Sengupta (2021).

10 Presently, Uma garu supervises yarn dyeing on site. These yarns are then distributed to the weavers in Amalapuram and a few other sites along the coast for weaving saris. After completion, the saris are collected and marketed from Pedana.

11 Since this hanging was displayed in public, many stakeholders including a group of Japanese collectors approached Nandam garu for selling this piece. He never agreed to their propositions.

12 Telephone interview with Jagada Rajappa, December 2022.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur; Royal Ontario Museum; University of British Columbia.

Notes on contributors

Rajarshi Sengupta

Rajarshi Sengupta is a practitioner and art historian, presently teaching fine arts at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, India. Sengupta received his PhD in Art History from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. His research has been supported by international research grants. He contributed to Cloth that Changed the World: The Art and Fashion of Indian Chintz (2020) and exhibited his textile works in Crafting the Crossroad, Dhi Artspace, Hyderabad (2022). He is working on an edited book (with Baishali Ghosh) on Deccani material culture.