'Common Nouns' exhibition challenges views on culture, identity, and tradition

CHENNAI: In celebration of its 15th anniversary, Raw Mango, in collaboration with Squadron 14, presents Common Nouns, an exhibition that brings together 15 digital artworks by some of the most exciting artists shaping contemporary visual culture. The exhibition, which will run from December 20 to December 31 at Raw Mango’s Chennai showroom, explores the intricate blend of the modern and the ancient that defines the brand’s ethos. Raw Mango, founded by textile pioneer Sanjay Garg, has long been driven by a curiosity about the cultural movements that shape our values, identities, and systems. The exhibition Common Nouns continues this exploration by focusing on how cultural narratives evolve and how their meanings, status, and ownership are continually renegotiated.

The exhibition features digital works by a diverse group of artists, each of whom brings a unique perspective on the themes of cultural evolution, object history, and tradition. Participating artists include Anisha Katoch, Nikhil Kapoor, Sharan Adka, Jimmy Varghese, Aishwarya Shree, Sundeep Yaya, Ved Uttam, Karthik Vernakar, Revant Dasgupta, Abhishek Sharma, Ariana Gupta, Sheehij Kaul, Shweta Sharma, Nishtha Sharma, and Prajjwal Chandra. These artists have been invited to reflect on the layers of meaning embedded in everyday objects and traditions.

Art has always played a dual role as both a tool for preservation and a medium for reinterpretation, and Common Nouns challenges us to see shared histories not as static relics, but as fluid, living stories that continue to adapt and grow. It offers a space for reflection on the relationship between past, present, and future, considering how traditional practices can evolve while maintaining their essence.

Sanjay Garg, the founder of Raw Mango, sees the exhibition as a continuation of the brand’s larger mission to engage with both the past and the present. “Over the last 15 years, Raw Mango has been driven by a curiosity to understand the deliberate and spontaneous cultural movements that shape our values as a society. We’ve always been interested in how culture and design intersect, and Common Nouns is an extension of that exploration, offering a contemporary dialogue on the layers of meaning embedded in everyday traditions,” he explains.

The exhibition, as Garg describes, delves deep into the evolving nature of culture, exploring how meaning, status, and ownership shift over time. “Crafts must evolve with the culture to remain relevant. A craft remains a craft if it evolves while staying true to its roots. At Raw Mango, we don’t see ourselves simply as a ‘fashion’ or ‘textile’ brand but as a design house deeply rooted in Indian culture, yet global in relevance. Our work encompasses not just textiles but the human condition, socio-economic realities, design challenges, and cultural touchpoints,” the designer continues.

Raw Mango’s approach to textiles has always been innovative, bridging centuries-old techniques with contemporary expressions. Garg cites the brand’s work with Chanderi, and its recent revival of Mashru-Ikat from the Deccan, as examples of how the past is kept alive through innovation. The brand is also known for pushing boundaries in its collections, such as the Children of the Night collection, which incorporates lycra on handloom and weaving with gota, a traditional ornamentation technique.

“Common Nouns is a way of reflecting on how these cultural forces evolve. It’s a space where art and design meet to challenge our perceptions of tradition and identity. The works in this exhibition represent our commitment to experimentation and innovation, allowing us to create new conversations around textile, tradition, and identity.”

Artist Anisha Katoch, one of the participating artists, says, "In my work, I approached the concept of the tension between the familiar and the unfamiliar by focusing on the interplay of object and movement. Fabric, as a medium, is deeply familiar - something we touch, wear, and associate with culture and identity. By simulating its behaviour digitally, I introduce an unfamiliar lens: the hyper-realistic yet intangible qualities of the virtual fabric. This digital transformation allows for experimentation with gravity, fluidity, and interaction, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the physical world."

For this exhibition, Katoch explores ephemeral interactions - moments that feel fleeting yet profound. Her animations, where traditional textiles like those used by Raw Mango behave in surreal ways, evoke the tension between the known (the textile, the tradition) and the unknown (the digital reinterpretation). This narrative challenges viewers to reconsider assumptions about materials, time, and space, creating a dialogue that bridges tradition with innovation and ventures into the unfamiliar territory of digital storytelling. The Common Nouns exhibition will be on display from December 20 to December 31 at Raw Mango, Malligai, Teynampet.