Every stitch tells a story in ‘Love Tales’, Savia Viegas’ exhibition of embroidered works on upcycled denim, opening at the Museum of Goa today. NT BUZZ gets a glimpse into its making
CHRISTINE MACHADO | NT BUZZ
What made you choose to focus on the theme of love for your works?
After the unexpected response to my first exhibition, ‘Carmona’s Talking Quilt’, which opened at the Museum of Goa (MOG) in 2024, I began to peruse other stories of village life from my childhood. A whole archive of rural life and love opened up before me.
Love is the fifth element of life, after land, air, fire, and water, that sustains us. Yet it is complex, shaped by power play and social intervention and often impermanent. It can be destructive, violent and ephemeral. And still, we continue to love.
I began revisiting stories I had heard growing up, which were variations of the ‘happily ever after’ narrative. Despite the risks, the lovers had still made those choices and suffered from the consequences.
The works are based on the oral archive of Goa. How exactly did you come upon these stories that have inspired the works?
I have been a teacher, writer, academic, artist and embroiderer. But my forte is exploring the human condition and telling stories. My family says I have a good memory and an eye for detail. I also have hypnagogia, a medical condition that allows one to dream while waking or falling asleep.
As a child, I suffered febrile convulsions and was mostly confined to the house. This made me an attentive listener of adult conversations. With nowhere else to go, I absorbed the stories whispered around me. Over time, I added my own twists to these tales and became known as a storyteller at school. Becoming a flaneur and a fabulist later came naturally, as I had already internalised these narratives.
In Goa, an ex-colonial state, our local stories were often overshadowed by colonial and Western literature. I realised early on that if I did not tell these tales, no one else would for they simply didn’t know.
You enjoy working with denim for your embroidery work. Why?
The choice of material is deliberate. We live in an increasingly wasteful society where large amounts of fabric are produced, used briefly and then discarded into landfills. This is alarming given the state of our environment and the living standards of people who do not fall in this category.
Repurposing denim allows me to use fabric which has so much durability and life. I love the fabric itself and its old connection with India. It is also a fabric that the young love to wear and when I use it for telling stories it comes with a story of its own.
You first showcased these works this year at the Goa Open Arts Festival. What was that experience like? Wil there be new pieces at the Museum of Goa exhibition?
The response was very positive. Some visitors even returned for a second viewing, saying the stories stayed with them.
There were also several questions during the walkthrough I conducted. For an artist, it is rewarding to see audiences engage with the work through appreciation, interpretation or feedback. This engagement helps an artist develop and refine their practice.
The exhibition at MOG includes two new additions that are available for public acquisition. The series is a work in progress and will eventually comprise 24 pieces. At present, 14 works based on Goan stories are on display, many of which are drawn from real events.
Embroidery, along with some other “granny hobbies”, is making a comeback among the younger generation today. What are your thoughts on this?
Embroidery and similar crafts have existed for centuries, helping keep traditions alive, support their families, and have sometimes been used to express social or political ideas. Today, young people have the chance to explore and reinvent these crafts. Abroad men, women and young have become members of various quilting and craft clubs to work and find their peace in troubling times.
You have been working with embroidery for a long time. How would you say you have evolved as an artist? What are you excited to experiment with going forward?
Embroidery has been my lifeblood, a way to express myself. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I began exploring it as a medium for public exhibitions.
This started with a quilt my mother had embroidered using upcycled pieces of my children’s jeans. I found it after she passed away and reworked it with my own embroidery to create ‘Carmona’s Talking Quilt’.
Since then, I have participated in several group shows. This is my second solo series in two years. This is heartening notwithstanding that embroidery is a reified medium as compared to art and treated as crafty not art.
I love working in this medium. It is pliable and meditative, though mistakes have to be ripped open. It has also allowed me to bring in some artist and art historian skills into my work and offered me plenty of room
for experimentation
Living in a village where materials are limited and fewer people practise these crafts can be challenging but it also encourages creativity and experimentation with
new materials.
I want to make art and craft easy and enjoyable for young people. An artist is simply someone trying to tell a story, whether through painting, writing or embroidery.
(‘Love Tales’ will be on view at the Museum of Goa until March 29.)
