In ‘The Piercing needle’, Gopika Nath presents herself as an artist-craftsperson. A predominant image in much of her work is the teacup. Peering into her cup emptied of garam masala chai revealed over time an appreciation for the quotidian beauty of residue. Her meditation on these marks and stains from tea serve as a catalyst for introspective enquires as well as initiating new methods of staining and burning to translate the effects onto fabric. While discomforting experiences are recalled and examined, threads are unravelled and surfaces scorched, burning through and beyond the heart of the matter at hand.
Speaking candidly through her creative process via reflection, catharsis and transcendence, her work matures from focusing upon the outer ‘cup’ of being, evoked through cups of tea and the dregs thereof, to delve deeper into the ‘stains’. Through this exploration using needle and thread, she finds the ‘universe in her cup’, as well as a release from the ‘stains’ of experien
