BACKGROUND
Globally acclaimed tapestry artist, ad professional, creative writer, blogger, award-winning poet, and author (Mood Swings), Puja Bhakoo has experimented with several mediums for creative expression.
After managing a group of multi-channel advertising & creative solutions agencies along with her husband, as co-founder and creative head for almost three decades, Puja Bhakoo decided to focus on her tapestry art and charitable pursuits.
REINVENTING PETIT POINT
In the 1990s, drawing inspiration from the rich cultural heritage of India’s western belt, Puja Bhakoo reinvented the art of Petit Point/ Needle Point hand embroidery by lending this ancient European art form a unique indo-ethnic dimension.
HANDCRAFTING TAPESTRIES
Figurative tapestries have been Puja Bhakoo’s passion since the commencement of her creative journey. As a child, Puja drew colourful portraits and human figures, exploring the nuances of facial expressions and the fluid choreography of the limbs and body.
Today, the artist’s embroidery technique deftly creates a body language that sprinkles ardour, enthusiasm, and emotions on abstracted figures — challenging a viewer’s imagination and interpretation.
Puja Bhakoo’s Petit Point tapestries focus on the muse’s facial expressions and an interplay of colours, moods, and emotions. On the other hand, her contemporary series, such as Nude Aesthetics, urges the viewer to rise above their proclivity to time-slot art based on the muse’s sartorial affectations.
Puja’s abstracted figures speak a non-verbal language that connects with the viewer at both an intellectual and a visceral level.
Puja’s background in graphic designing and digital media has instilled in her a heightened understanding of how to study and create patterns and layers on the computer screen and lay down the bones of a tapestry while remaining fluid enough to improvise as an artwork progresses.
The artist perceives the world as interconnected and seamlessly designed, providing her ideas for various art series.
Very rarely is an artist accomplished in both figurative and abstract styles — and recognized for doing justice to both.
TAPESTRY-FOR-CHARITY Initiative
In 2015, Puja Bhakoo combined her passion for embroidery with her mission for charity and founded TAPESTRY-FOR-CHARITY — an initiative that utilizes proceeds from her art for the education and rehabilitation of underprivileged children.
According to the artist, her creative journey is symbolic of IKIGAI – the Japanese concept, which is a meeting ground of what you love (your passion), what the world needs (your mission), what you’re good at (your vocation), and what you get paid for (your profession).
Today Puja Bhakoo’s environmentally sustainable tapestries enjoy a global clientele and are showcased at leading online art galleries and some of India’s premium home furnishing stores. She also holds solo exhibitions of her artworks from time to time.
Every time someone buys a Puja Bhakoo Handcrafted Tapestry, an underprivileged child can live better. And that, according to the artist, is the most fulfilling part of doing what she does.