Akshata is a textile artist, who adorns her craft and design with passion for weaving, creating cutting edge tapestries. Akshata completed her BFA (Textile design) from Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai and her MA (Fashion and Textiles) from Heriot Watt University, Scotland. Her passion for landscapes and observational drawings around nature found expression in the form of tapestry weaving. The conformity of textile around utility did not attract her and she began exploring tapestry towards self-expression and thought more than just designs. Akshata in her practice explores beyond the boundaries of weaving on a handloom, finding non-traditional and non-classical surfaces for weaving. She explores this medium full of textures and tactile qualities to evoke in oneself a tranquil state of mind that attempts to communicate within the self, nurture and act as therapy. Informed by sensory, and tactile elements, her works are majorly inclusive of visually impaired people. Akshata often creates her surfaces and embeds her weaves simultaneously giving her tapestries multiple layers of visuality and meaning. Her compositions find inspiration in the forces of nature which she juxtaposes with human interventions. Her process is very intuitive, flowing with the medium. Recently, Akshata has been probing into the rivers
flows through cities and the urbane implications on its ecological synergy, working the layers and waves of water through her weaves. Akshata has worked in many reputed places as a designer and researcher such as Peepul Tree, Mumbai, Live History India, Mumbai (2021), Journeys in Design, Edinburgh and Revier Embroidery, Scotland (2019). She has been part of numerous workshops and projects like Tactile artworks for MAP, Bangalore, Inclusive Textiles, for visually impaired, UK, Warp and Woof, CSMVS, Mumbai and Art village, Karjat. She has been part of the Space Studio Residency, Vadodara (2022). She has showcased her work in Jehangir Art Gallery, Nehru Center Art Gallery, NESCO, Kamalnayan Bajaj Art Gallery in Mumbai, Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh, John Byrne, UK (online exhibit) and Taipei Contemporary Art Center, Taiwan (group work) and has won gold medal for her tapestry work.