Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], September 24: The city is going to witness an unusual exhibition on craft practices through the efforts of Odisha Craft Odyssey (OCO), a pioneering cultural initiative by the MGM Foundation and the Bhubaneswar Experimental Art and Design Studio (BEADS). OCO is set to unveil its second research exhibition, titled ‘The Popular Pipli: Threads of Memory, Networks of Power’, curated by Sibdas Sengupta at the Lalit Kala Akademi, Bhubaneswar, on the 21st of September, 2025, from 5 pm onwards. Unlike many art and craft exhibitions, OCO’s exhibitions visualise the complex research survey that was conducted in collaboration with artists, researchers and the artisans. This edition marks a new chapter in the preservation and revitalisation of Odisha’s living heritage. OCO’s second landmark event serves as the public culmination of the 2025 residency, which focused on the vibrant Appliqué craft of Pipli.
The open studio is a direct outcome of OCO’s unique methodology, which prioritises ethnographic research and cross-disciplinary collaboration to challenge the traditional hierarchies between fine arts and crafts. The program, curated by Sibdas Sengupta, embedded three contemporary practitioners—Raj Maurya, Madhulika S Naidu, and Rhea Moras—within the Pipli artisan community. Madhulika S. Naidu traces the historical evolution of Pipli appliqué through motifs, techniques, and social hierarchies, culminating in an installation of co-existing craft epistemologies. Rhea Moras examines stitching techniques as embodied knowledge, foregrounding women’s voices and collective authorship through participatory projects and material explorations. Raj Maurya documents labour networks in Pipli appliqué using archival methods and cyanotype to reflect on memory, absence, and the repetitive nature of craft-making. During their residency, they engaged in a meticulous process to “unravel the making” of the craft, documenting its intricate techniques and cultural significance through comprehensive field notes and collaborative projects. This research-based approach elevates the craft from a mere artefact to a dynamic field of study, providing new avenues for artistic expression and academic discourse.
The importance of OCO’s work extends far beyond its individual residencies. It is a long-term initiative dedicated to developing a new body of knowledge about Odisha’s craft heritage, ensuring its sustainable future. This vision is a multi-faceted endeavour that includes the creation of a comprehensive encyclopaedic website, which will serve as a living archive for researchers and cultural practitioners worldwide. As Siddhartha Mohanty, Member of Advisory Board, OCO, states, the knowledge through OCO research is also designed to advocate for craftspeople and influence supportive policies. Through the issuance of research grants, OCO supports in-depth studies of craft clusters and an annual conference to disseminate these findings.
By meticulously documenting these traditions and creating a robust digital repository, OCO is proactively safeguarding cultural heritage that is often passed down orally and is vulnerable to being lost. As the curator, Sibdas Sengupta states, ‘The exhibition, as a whole, challenges the romanticised image of Pipli appliqué, revealing the politics of its popularity and proposing counter-narratives to its celebrated identity.”
The second research will provide a tangible glimpse into the relevance of these ancient traditions in a modern context. It will showcase the collaborative projects that emerged from the Pipli residency, demonstrating how traditional craftsmanship can be a foundation for contemporary artistic innovation. This effort aligns with a wider global movement to activate the living heritage for a sustainable future, as recently highlighted in the G20 CWG exhibition, ‘Sustain: The Craft Idiom’. As Sandeep Hota, Member, Advisory Board, OCO, says,” It is a privilege to be part of the Odisha Craft Odyssey as it deepens critical engagement with living craft traditions. The residency and fellowship not only document and preserve artisanal practices but also foreground the voices, knowledge systems, and evolving realities of the makers themselves. By creating spaces for dialogue between researchers, artisans, and contemporary practitioners, this initiative ensures that craft is recognised not as a static tradition, but as a dynamic and vital expression of cultural imagination in Odisha and beyond. “
Premjish Achari, the visionary behind the project, encapsulates its core mission: “This project is about more than preservation; it’s about innovation and creating a sustainable future for these crafts. This exhibition, curated by Sibdas Sengupta, serves as the public culmination of a rigorous, research-based residency program dedicated to the vibrant Appliqué craft of Pipli. By highlighting the work, documentation, and collaborations from this residency, the second research exhibition serves as a testament to OCO’s foundational commitment to blurring the lines between art and craft, as well as between tradition and innovation. It marks a new chapter in a long-term commitment to revitalising and reimagining Odisha’s invaluable cultural heritage.”
The open studio is a powerful invitation to witness the outcomes of this groundbreaking work and to observe a model where tradition and innovation can mutually enrich each other, securing the relevance and economic viability of Odisha’s invaluable cultural wealth for future generations.
About Odisha Craft Odyssey
The Odisha Craft Odyssey (OCO) is a collaborative program between the MGM Foundation and BEADS (Bhubaneswar Experimental Art and Design Studio) that seeks to create an inclusive cultural platform for highlighting the craft practices of Odisha. It aims to challenge the conventional hierarchies between fine arts and crafts by integrating traditional practices into contemporary artistic and academic contexts.
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