Mata Ni Pachedi Mask

During the pandemic, many textile artisans in India turned their skills and designs to a new format: the COVID face mask. Vasant Manubhai Chitara of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, is a renowned artist in the mata ni pachedi tradition of the Chitara community, using a sharpened stick and dye agents to 'paint’ religious hangings featuring mother goddesses. After COVID struck, he turned to embellishing cotton face masks. His designs range from animals to religious figures; here the Hindu sun god rises over waters with fish into a bird-filled sky.

Vasant Manubhai Chitara, India

2020

Designed in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

Made in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

Mata ni pachedi painting with natural dyes on cotton

Royal Ontario Museum
2021.27.24

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