Akshata Mokashi

I am an artist practicing tapestry as a primary medium. I love to paint. And to weave my painted imaginations.
Akshata’s passion for painting landscapes and observational drawings around nature found expression in the medium of Tapestry weaving, which she calls painting with yarn. She was introduced to weaving a tapestry in the second year of studying fine art in textile design, in Sir JJ School of Art, Mumbai. An attempt to search for a medium beyond the academic textile design subjects, tapestry weaving was an artform that really connected to her way of self expression and thought, that she explored beyond the boundaries of weaving on a handloom. Fascinated by medieval tapestries in the renaissance Europe, Indian & Persian rugs and carpets, her contemporary compositions find inspiration in the forces of nature, which she tries to juxtapose with human experiences and material objects. Her material explorations have always been eco-sensitive and emerge from nature, quite often un-orthodox choices. Intrigued by the process, Akshata continues to find peace and calm in the meditative act of weaving.

Teaching hand weaving through workshops in an artist collaborative space, Art Village, Karjat has been her
favourite activity, driving her passion for weaving and art. She has also held weaving workshops through
collaborations with museums, art galleries and art curators as well in her space. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu
Sangrahalaya, Mumbai, Baaya Design, Mumbai, Journeys in Design, Edinburgh to name some. She has worked
as a textile designer in an interior design studio & a fashion design house. Her artworks have been exhibited at India Art fair 2024, Art Mumbai 2023, Jehangir Art Gallery, Nehru Center Art Gallery, NESCO, Bajaj Art gallery, Stranger's house in Mumbai, Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh, John Byrne, UK (online exhibit) and Taipei Contemporary Art Center, Taiwan (group work) and has won awards for her work.