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JAYEETA CHATTERJEE
FRIEZE LONDON -
Trained as a printmaker, Jayeeta Chatterjee uses Nakshi Kantha, the traditional Bengali quilting technique to revive the communal practice currently facing the threat of extinction. It is practiced mainly within Muslim communities in rural villages of Mahidapur, Lohagar, Mangaldihi, Sattor and Moldanga, a district in Birbhum, West Bengal. After preparing large woodworks, she prints her compositions on used sarees collected from the women she portrays in her work. Through this technique, she weaves anecdotes, floral motifs and the domestic everydayness of women busy with their lives.
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The Infinite Weft, 2026
Woodcut print on Nakshikantha embroidery on recycled sarees104 x 195 in
264.2 x 495.3 cm
During an artist residency in Hampi, Jayeeta Chatterjee documented the lives of women employed at the Bonkai weaving centre, many of whom were entering formal employment for the first time. Coming from different generations and backgrounds, their decision to step beyond the domestic sphere and into the workforce marked a significant act of autonomy, driven by the desire for financial independence and the ability to support their families.
Through photography and audio documentation, Chatterjee draws attention to not only to the women’s labour but to the community that forms around it. The centre becomes an alternative social space, offering respite from the repetitive and often invisible labour carried out at home. For the first time in her practice, Chatterjee incorporates recordings of the women’s voices into the work, translating their conversations and presence
into visible audio waveforms. These trace function as a record of their presence within the space - of voices heard, experiences shared, and lives momentarily made visible.
The work’s circular and oval compositions evoke both the cyclical repetition of domestic labour and the rhythmic process of weaving. At the same time, their enclosed forms suggest the close-knit community the women construct through their shared labour.
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The red line, thin as thread, heavy as law, 2026
Woodcut print on Nakshikantha embroidery on recycled sarees241 x 73 in
612 x 105.4 cm
A singular red line cuts across the breadth of the composition, making it a defining visual and conceptual element. It depicts the many invisible boundaries that women are compelled to navigate, shaped by societal
expectations, patriarchal structures, and prescribed roles. Positioned at the brink of this imagined boundary, the women appear poised to cross it together. Through their collective presence and the deliberate arrangement of their bodies, Jayeeta Chatterjee attempts to convey a sense of solidarity, suggesting that the act of crossing these boundaries can become a shared, collective gesture.
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She, in her moments, 2026
Woodcut print on paperThis particular series by Jayeeta Chatterjee is part of an ongoing series that explores the lives of women across different regions of India as they navigate their everyday routines. Through these works, Jayeeta reflects on the many roles these women inhabit - both within the domestic sphere and in society at large, and the delicate balance they maintain between the two.
What fascinates Jayeeta most are the small, quiet moments these women carve out for themselves amidst the rhythm of daily life: pausing for a cup of tea while reading the newspaper, or having a conversation with a friend while tending to household tasks. It is these fleeting moments of ease, and selfhood that bring lightness to the monotony of their routine, and which continue to intrigue and inspire Jayeeta’s practice.
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Shiksha: The Right, The Light, 2025
Woodcut print on Nakshikantha embroidery on recycled sarees88 x 96 in
223.52 x 223.52 cm
The third panel brings this utopian vision into dialogue with the complexities of lived reality, positioning education as a fundamental instrument of freedom and agency. The work draws from an encounter in Delhi, where Chatterjee observed a woman selling earthenware while teaching children on a cold winter pavement beside a busy road, beneath a dry, leafless tree and without the shelter of a conventional classroom. The scene foregrounds the persistent inequities within access to education, particularly for marginalised communities. Against this stark setting, the woman’s determination becomes an act of resilience and possibility. Her dual role, as worker and teacher, mother and educator speaks to the transformative potential of education, and to the ways knowledge can move across generations. The work extends Chatterjee’s broader exploration of women’s agency, suggesting that education, collective action, and community are fundamental to challenging inherited social structures and imagining a more equitable public sphere.
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The Market Reimagined, 2026
Woodcut print on Nakshikantha embroidery on recycled sarees98 x 41.5 in
249 x 105.4 cm
In this work, Jayeeta Chatterjee reimagines the marketplace as a space shaped and inhabited entirely by women; as vendors, customers, and participants. The work emerged from her observations of the weekly Sunday market in Bengaluru, where she noticed the stark absence of women. This observation led her to consider the social, cultural, and possibly security- related factors that shape women’s presence in public spaces, and to imagine what a marketplace might look like if women were its primary occupants.
A tightly woven cluster of women, dressed in bold patterns and representing diverse communities, comes together within this imagined marketplace. Their proximity creates a sense of collective presence, transforming the market into a space of exchange, interaction, and shared experience. Underlying the composition is a field of Nakshi Kantha embroidery, a recurring element in Chatterjee’s practice. The textile backdrop brings together the traditions of domestic craft and women’s labour, extending the work’s meditation on community, everyday life, and the spaces women inhabit.
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Frieze London: Jayeeta Chatterjee
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