Ekavalli Foundation

28/10/2019

24/10/2019

15/10/2018

The Ekavalli Foundation is delighted to present Vanam Singaram, a unique kanjivaram colouring book. Born out of the desire to engage people in the forms and shapes that go into the embellishment of the kanjivaram, this beautifully crafted colouring book is a tribute to the heritage. Celebrating the kanjivaram’s every detail, Vanam Singaram, meaning 'the forest adorned' in Tamil, draws you into its grammar, the aesthetics of its colours, and the myths and magic of its motifs.

Kanakavalli has curated a range of kanjivarams that reflect the intricate illustration of this art project, available in stores and online, along with the colouring book and a delightful set of Vanam Singaram notecards: bit.ly/vanamsingaram0810

26/07/2018

The Painted From Memory photography series by Uma Damle, commissioned by the Ekavalli Foundation, explores notions of time, legacy and memory, reflected beautifully in Kanakavalli's accompanying curation of heirloom kanjivarams. In this image from the photo essay, a woman is draped in an exquisite heirloom kanjivaram with ruby red, royal blue and orange pin stripes, all shot with black. She gathers the pleats of the sari - which she wears in an old, traditional drape - in her hands, while her eyes have a faraway look in them. The border and pallu of the kanjivaram feature classic motifs, intricately executed in zari. The muse emerges from darkness into beautifully muted, memory faded colours, as in a painting, creating a mood of nostalgia and mystery.

Shop the collective online at bit.ly/paintedfrommemory2207.
Painted From Memory is a photography series commissioned by the Ekavalli Foundation for Kanakavalli.
Creative Director/Photographer: Uma Damle
Stylist: Sarah Ishtiyaque
Muse: Madhulika Sharma
MUA: Sheeny Kaul
Art director(Still Life): Kirin Vas

25/07/2018

25/07/2018

Thank you The Kingsley Page and Tapestry Expressions!

25/07/2018

This week, we continue to share the beautiful imagery from the Ekavalli Foundation's Painted From Memory photography series by Uma Damle. The muse from this series of theatre portraits inhabits a world that is a conflux of colour and weave, of the past and the present, echoed in Kanakavalli's accompanying curation.

This image depicts a woman carrying red and pink roses in a vintage silver basket, wearing an heirloom kanjivaram in bottle green with yellow checks, striking in its very simplicity. She wears simple and traditional gold ornaments that are beautifully complemented by a red bindi on her forehead. The emotion on her face is captured beautifully in the chiaroscuro technique, as the image seems to emerge from the shadows into the light.

Shop the curation online: bit.ly/paintedfrommemory2207 and stay tuned as we continue to share photographs from the essay.
Painted From Memory is a photography series commissioned by the Ekavalli Foundation for Kanakavalli.
Creative Director/Photographer: Uma Damle
Stylist: Sarah Ishtiyaque
Muse: Madhulika Sharma
MUA: Sheeny Kaul
Art director(Still Life): Kirin Vas

22/07/2018

At Ekavalli, we are constantly seeking out new formats that enable new audiences to discover the beauty of the kanjivaram. As part of this endeavour, the Ekavalli Foundation recently commissioned a photography series by Uma Damle for Kanakavalli, Painted From Memory. This stunning series of theatre portraits and still life images reflect Uma’s distinct aesthetic, with the kanjivaram as the focal point of the narrative.

Drawing from the Ekavalli Foundation's recent 'Painted From Memory' photographic exhibit by Uma Damle, Kanakavalli curates a range of exquisite heirloom kanjivarams that capture the emotions depicted in the imagery, reflecting the spirit of the photo essay - the coming together of the past and the present, the familiar and the exotic.

Here, the muse from the series is draped in an heirloom kanjivaram in blue grey shot with black, dotted with malli moggu motifs and highlighted by a pallu woven in the laborious 'adai' technique. She wears traditional gold ornaments, and in her hands she clasps pink lotus blooms, their delicate hue set in contrast to the shadowy background of the image.

Shop the Painted From Memory collective online at bit.ly/paintedfrommemory2207, and stay tuned this week as we share the striking theatre portraits and still life imagery from this series.

Painted From Memory is a photography series commissioned by the Ekavalli Foundation for Kanakavalli.
Creative Director/Photographer: Uma Damle
Stylist: Sarah Ishtiyaque
Muse: Madhulika Sharma
MUA: Sheeny Kaul
Art director(Still Life): Kirin Vas

05/03/2018

We are very excited about our next project! More soon