Hariyaben Utmabhai Bhanani
Hariyaben Utmabhai Bhanani | Maru Meghwal Community | Gujarat, India b.1958 | Baghicho (Garden) 2006–07 | Hanging: hand block-printed fabrics and appliqué on cotton ground | Purchased 2007. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation Grant | Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
Baghicho (Garden) was inspired by Bhanani’s delighted surprise when she first visited a garden dedicated to leisure rather than sustenance. Born in Pakistan, but now living in the Indian state of Gujarat, Bhanani is a member of the Meghwal community, whose traditional livelihood has included leatherwork and weaving, as well as farming. Today, Meghwal women, renowned for their exuberant hand-stitched costumes, also participate in local cash economies by selling and exchanging their distinctive textiles. In this work, Bhanani has used the katab appliqué, thought to have been introduced to the area by European, Persian and Arabian traders in the sixteenth century. Enjoying the garden are costumed figures, perhaps representing the numerous cultural groups who have shaped the history and the landscape of this part of the world over many generations.
