UKICC at Ashiesh Shah’s Taamr Exhibition at Carpenters Workshop Gallery, London
UKICC at Ashiesh Shah’s Taamr Exhibition at Carpenters Workshop Gallery, London
Congratulations to Carpenters Workshop Gallery in London for presenting Taamr, a beautiful exhibition by Mumbai-based designer and artist Ashiesh Shah, whose practice integrates long-held Indian craft traditions with a contemporary visual and sculptural language.
The exhibition marks Ashiesh Shah’s first solo presentation in the UK and has been three years in the making with the globally renowned Carpenters Workshop Gallery, a valued part of the growing UK-India Creative Circle (UKICC) community. The presentation reflects Shah’s commitment to creating micro-economies for craftspeople across India, from Rajasthan to Karnataka, while bringing Indian material heritage into a contemporary global dialogue.
Dr R. Sri Ram, Founder, CEO and Chair of the UK-India Creative Circle (UKICC), was present at the exhibition and welcomed the opportunity to experience Shah’s evolving practice, which foregrounds collaboration with karigars (artisans) and the revival of traditional crafts such as Channapatna woodwork, Dhokra metalwork, and longpi pottery.
Material as Memory and Transformation
At the heart of Taamr is copper as both material and idea—rooted in history yet shaped by transformation. In Shah’s work, copper is never static; it evolves with time, responding to air, touch, and use, becoming a living material that carries memory and change.
Highlights include the iconic circular mirror draped with Rudraksha beads and lacquered Channapatna-style elements, inspired by pilgrims of the Kumbh Mela. Sculptural works such as the Brahmand Cabinet pair antique copper vessels with black granite, creating a dialogue between softness and geometry, tradition and contemporary form.
Craft, Cosmology and Contemporary Design
Further works such as the Mirror Mosaic Coffee Table and Dveep Coffee Table reference Jadau and Kundan jewellery techniques as well as Mumbai’s archipelagic origins, while Channapatna beadwork forms connective “causeways” across reflective surfaces.
Pieces like Matka Mobile and Matka Mirror explore cosmic rhythm and transformation, suspending earthen vessels in orbital motion and reinterpreting traditional forms as contemporary constellations where craft and cosmology converge.
Taamr reflects the symbolic and transformative power of copper, echoing the spirit of the Copper Age while offering a contemporary meditation on modernity, memory, and heritage. The exhibition highlights how material innovation and craft revival can coexist within a global design language.
UKICC extends its appreciation to Carpenters Workshop Gallery and to Ashiesh Shah for an outstanding presentation that deepens cultural exchange between India and the UK, and celebrates the enduring relevance of craft in contemporary practice.
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