"Threads that stretch afar,
Roots that linger, star by star,
Wings that dare to rise,
Home within open skies."
Roots and Flights
Sari ID: 26 KANC RAF AAM
By Kanchan Chander
Collection: Journey and Exile
Created by: Kanchan Chander, New Delhi
Medium: Silk Aari embroidery on custom-dyed Kanchipuram silk, 2026
Latest Exhibit: Asian Art Museum, San Francisco (March 2026)
Includes: Blouse kit (materials for two blouses) and certificate of authenticity
Care: Dry clean only by a textile specialist
Status: Available for sale
The Artist
Kanchan Chander is a fine artist known for her autobiographical works that explore fertility, motherhood, and feminine power. She holds a BFA in Painting and Printmaking from the College of Art, Delhi, with additional training in Santiago, Berlin, and Paris. Her works are held in the National Gallery of Modern Art New Delhi, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, The British Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The Inspiration
Roots and Flights is born from the journeys of Indians who carry their culture across oceans and continents. It reflects the delicate balance between memory and transformation: the roots that ground us, the traditions that shape identity, and the new worlds that call us to expand, adapt, and soar.
Kanchan draws from the tension of this dual existence, the sense of belonging to one place while living within another, of negotiating heritage and freedom. The sari evokes the emotional landscape of migration, where ancestral memory blends with the excitement and uncertainty of new horizons.
It is as much about home as it is about aspiration, a celebration of roots that do not confine, but give wings.
From Sari to Art
Kanchan combined Photoshop-based digital painting with traditional media, including acrylics, to develop the composition. The process challenged her, especially mastering unfamiliar digital tools like the lasso, but it allowed her to experiment with layering, texture, and color in ways that complemented embroidery work.
The embroidery, executed with the support of Prabha, adds tactility, rhythm, and depth to the piece. Each thread and stroke is intended to convey motion and lift, so the sari flows with a sense of flight while retaining the richness of handcraft.
The careful integration of digital and traditional media results in a textile that is as visually dynamic as it is narratively resonant.
Message for the World
The sari invites people to embrace both heritage and possibility, honoring the roots that shape us while pursuing new horizons.