India Art Fair 2025 at NSIC Grounds

Silpinwita Das, a natural dye artist from Kolkata is pursuing her academic research on ‘Explorations with natural dyes on textiles’ from Visva-Bharati University, Sriniketan. She lives and works from her home in Birati, in southern Bengal.

She has been inspired and guided by her father Ajit Kumar Das, who is a master in this art.

Silpinwita handles the kalam, traditional brush, with dexterity as she paints with natural dyes on khadi and cotton. The fabric is first treated with harad, myrobalan. Red from madder; blue from indigo and brown from catechu is applied using traditional methods of dye application on cloth. Black from iron and lampblack is then used to outline and highlight the design.

According to her, “my art and design appear contemporary because tradition and innovation go hand in hand.” Nature is the inspiration behind her work and her paintings echo the various moods of nature as seen in her immediate surroundings. Her works are a continuation and celebration of the extraordinary legacy of the Indian painting tradition of Kalamkari.

Delhi Crafts Council is happy to present the works of Silpinwita Das for India Art Fair 2025. She is perhaps one of the few artists working in this rare and unusual medium.