The Documentary Podcast Mrinalini Mukherjee: Hemp sculptures
Jan 26, 2026
Nilima Sheikh, painter known for theatrical suspended scrolls; Candy Stobbs, exhibition manager who oversees packing and conservation; Tarini Malik, Royal Academy curator who shaped the show; Naman Ahuja, art historian situating Mukherjee in Indian modernism. They discuss the scale and mystic presence of hemp sculptures. Curation choices, transport and installation challenges, and artistic lineages are explored.
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Craft As Radical Contemporary Sculpture
- Mrinalini Mukherjee transformed traditional craft into monumental contemporary sculpture through hand-knotting hemp and jute.
- Her works blend structural engineering and softness, creating powerful, tactile forms without internal supports.
Artistic Roots At Shantiniketan
- Mukherjee's parents met at Shantiniketan and taught her an art lineage rooted in Rabindranath Tagore's school.
- This family and pedagogy network anchored her practice and the exhibition's narrative.
Circle Shows Shared Modernisms
- The exhibition frames Mukherjee within a circle of contemporaries from Baroda and Shantiniketan, showing shared themes and diverse voices.
- Curators emphasise networks of teachers, students and travel that shaped a modern South Asian art identity.