Vaishali Oak

Vaishali Oak (born 1970, Pune, Maharashtra) is a contemporary artist working primarily with textiles since 1997. She holds a Government Diploma in Art (Drawing & Painting) and a Master’s degree in Painting. Inspired by the traditional Godhadi quilt, her work explores fabric as a medium of expression. She received the Government of India's Junior Fellowship (2000) and the National Academy Award (2002) for Flow of Death—a response to the Gujarat riots. She also won the Outstanding Art Award at the China Fiber Art Biennial (2016). Her work has been exhibited at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (2016, 2018), India Art Fair (2022, 2023), and several fiber art biennales and triennials in the UK, Sri Lanka, China, Spain, Korea, Ukraine, Latvia, and the USA.

Vaishali Oak 1:1 © Vaishali Oak

Indrayani

India’s strength lies in its unity in diversity, but our cultural and agricultural identities are shifting towards monoculture. The Green Revolution, while transformative, led to the decline of indigenous crops like millets, lentils, rice, and oilseeds, with some varieties disappearing entirely. Today, Indian agriculture faces climate change, land issues, and the need for sustainable practices. As farming evolves, we are losing cultural traditions and ancient wisdom tied to it.
In Pune and nearby regions, traditional rice varieties have vanished, leaving Indrayani as the only rice now cultivated and consumed.

Vaishali Oak

Indrayani

Fotos | Indrayani

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