Grasping (three anachronisms)

Lucinda Bennett

Katki comes from a Zoroastrian Parsi-Irani background, is queer, and grew up as the child of migrants. Their art explores all of these parts of who they are. They often use writing and embroidery—especially stitching on old fabrics—as a way to tell stories. This is something they learned as a child, sitting with the women in their family.

In this artwork, Katki explores how colour and shape can make us feel and remember things. They use abstract patterns and marks (rather than clear pictures or words) to express complex emotions and memories.

The artwork is stitched onto a special handwoven fabric called ikat khadi. The colours in the fabric were carefully chosen based on a chart that links colours to different feelings. Katki designed the fabric so that both the horizontal and vertical threads match specific emotions.

By using embroidery and fabric, Katki connects to their cultural background and personal history. This artwork is inspired by memories of their childhood home and is a way of showing deep thoughts and feelings without using language.