Woman's wedding veil (thirma phulkari) c. 20th century

This Woman's wedding veil was made by the Hindu Jat community using embroidery. I love how the regular, repeated shapes are a type of mark making, like strokes of a brush. The red diamond shapes feel dense, substantial, almost sculptural, especially against the lightness of the cream and white. There's a real joy in seeing how the shapes, repeated and slightly wonky, give real character to the piece. It’s about the feel of the making, the repetitive action of the hand, a kind of meditation. Look at the texture, imagine running your hand over it, feeling the build-up of the threads. The colour, a red that feels both celebratory and earthy. Then the tiny details of green and gold thread that dance across the surface adding subtle details. The whole thing comes alive. You can see a conversation with artists like Anni Albers, who also found ways to translate repetitive, manual processes into powerful abstract forms. It reminds us that art isn’t just about what we see, but what we feel and experience.