Article from exhibition brochure written by Neeta Om Prakash
It’s a challenge for an artist to work in an unusual medium and overcome the limitations of it. There are many mediums and techniques traditionally used by craftsmen, like terracotta (pottery); repou’sse (embossing on metal sheets) used for making idols, ritualistic objects for doors of temples; metal casting by cire – perdue process (lost wax process) from Bastar (M.P); weaving (on the loom as well as macrame); embroidery etc.. 20th century artist has taken up the challenge of working in such mediums & raising the created product from the level of craft to fine art. This kind of challenge was taken up by Indian artists due to the identity crises passed by the International art scene. Artists of today’s generation adopts to work in traditional medium purely with the interest of exploring it. Though for an artist having mastery over the medium is a must it remains secondary when it comes to expression. Liesl Cotta De Souza has put in hard efforts to explore the challenges of the traditional medium of embroidery (thread on cloth) conventionally used in making tapestries. She has attempted to defy the convention to create a work of art. Her indulgence and perseverance certainly needs an appraisal for elevating the craft to the level of art full of creative promises. Her present oeuvre is an outcome of long and arduous preoccupation with embroidery. This medium demands tremendous patience and hard work.