The exhibition ‘The Space Between’ at Ojas Art gallery features a collaborative dialogue between designers Siddhartha Das and Chiara Nath, bridging the gap between traditional Indian craft and contemporary design. Das presents architectural interpretations of historic sites like the Jagannath Temple alongside a vast botanical series that evolves from historical Company School naturalism into modern sculptural forms in brass, marble, and plaster. Nath contributes intimate embroidered works that translate personal memories of her family and upbringing into tactile, design-led narratives.
This exhibition is significant for its rejection of craft as a static, purely preservationist medium, instead positioning it as a living language capable of architectural and conceptual depth. By integrating the skills of traditional miniature painters and craft communities with industrial processes and modern aesthetics, the duo demonstrates how heritage-based practices can solve contemporary design problems and create new modes of cultural engagement.