Trace presented by Experimenter is the Chanakya School’s first solo show in India. Through in-depth study of various indigenous textile skills, material research, and inherited knowledge systems, the collective practice of the Chanakya School under the direction of Karishma Swali serves as a bridge connecting modern ideas with traditional methods.

The exhibition serves as a repository of knowledge about the remnants of the human hand, imprinted in thread over time, as well as an exploration of interwoven textile histories. Few human innovations have left a more profound mark on history than fabric; over the ages and across cultures, textiles have absorbed both the individual and the collective, accumulating into a palimpsest of human experience where tales are layered, stored, and preserved.

Fundamentally, Trace sheds light on the Chanakya School’s ongoing investigation of women’s autonomy, the human condition, and their decades-long commitment to preserving the transfer of knowledge through textiles throughout generations. The exhibition’s pieces, which are based in the natural world within the arc of life itself, generate profoundly layered impressions like a trace over time. They are made from weave upon weave, bead upon bead, thread upon thread, and knot upon knot.

In addition to their exploration of form through stone sculptures and installations, Trace preserves the collective practice of Chanakya School and highlights their unique skill in textile construction through intricate beadwork, weaving, embroidery, and stitching using recycled seed and glass beads, organic thread and cotton, and natural dyes.

The exhibition is on till 21^st March, 2026, at Experimenter – Ballygunge Place, Kolkata.

Priyanka Dutta