Anshu Singh
B.
1989
New Delhi
"
No more shall I weave a garment of pain
"
Anshu Singh works with textiles as carriers of memory, labour, and lived exchange. Trained in weaving and textile design at Banaras Hindu University, her practice emerges from the wider Benaras region, including Mirzapur and Bhadohi, where carpet-weaving traditions shaped by Kashmiri and Persian lineages continue to circulate through hands rather than archives.
Benaras, a city sustained by design rather than raw material, is known for its zari embroidery and brocade. Weaving here is also entwined with the legacy of Kabir—the anti-caste poet whose verses moved between Hindu and Islamic thought, and whose words remain embedded in everyday artisan life.
Singh works at the intersection of contemporary artistic practice and community-based embroidery and weaving in villages around Benaras. Her relationship to textile labour began early, through her mother’s boutique, a space of informal exchange where weavers gathered, talked, and worked. Language enters her practice quietly—through single-word poems such as Life Jacket or Repair, and through fragments of Kabir’s poetry, including the line, “No more I weave a garment of pain!”
During the Covid lockdown, she embroidered Life Jacket onto jute backpacks worn by workers in a wholesale vegetable market near her home—an environment marked by risk and precarity. The gesture was intimate and direct; these were the same workers connected to her family’s vegetable fields and daily routines.
Her materials are modest and often salvaged: rope, jute sacks, used sari thread, factory cloth waste, wire, and polymer textiles repurposed from cement bags. Through these, Singh attends to repair, survival, and the quiet intelligence of hands—allowing textiles to speak of care, endurance, and shared ground.
artworks
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 4 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
Safety 10 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin II, 18 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 9 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
Hand Work 5 (Set of 7)
2021
Embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Broken Scissor 1 (Set of 3)
2021
Embroidery and watercolor on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Life Circle 2
2021
Beaded embroidery on paper
41.73 x 29.92 in
Safety 1 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin 11 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Life of Thread II, 14 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 10 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 23 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
No more shall I weave a garment of pain
2023
Jute
208 x 48 in
Safety 5 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin II, 7 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 12 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
Life of Thread II, 3 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin 3 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 7 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 17 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
Threads of Life 5 (Set of 8)
2025
Beaded embroidery on paper
11.42 x 16.54 in (each)
Safety 4 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Threads of Life 2 (Set of 8)
2025
Beaded embroidery on paper
11.42 x 16.54 in (each)
Life Circle 1
2021
Beaded embroidery on paper
41.73 x 29.92 in
Safety 11 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin II, 2 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin II, 8 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Broken Scissor 2 (Set of 3)
2021
Embroidery and watercolor on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Life of Thread II, 12 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin 14 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin II, 1 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Sensitive Content
2022
Embroidery and watercolor on paper
29.92 x 21.65 in
Life of Thread II, 10 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin 2 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin II, 20 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Hand Work 3 (Set of 7)
2021
Embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Life of Thread II, 20 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Threads of life 1 (Set of 8)
2025
Beaded embroidery on paper
11.42 x 16.54 in (each)
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 1 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
Safety 13 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin 6 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Work from Home 2 (Set of 14)
2020
Embroidery and watercolor on paper
5.91 x 5.91 in (each)
Work from Home 9 (Set of 14)
2020
Embroidery and watercolor on paper
5.91 x 5.91 in (each)
Work from Home 10 (Set of 14)
2020
Embroidery and watercolor on paper
5.91 x 5.91 in (each)
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 20 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
Life of Thread I, 3 (Set of 5)
2021
Beaded embroidery on paper
41.73 x 29.92 in
Safety 18 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Life of Thread II, 15 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin II, 3 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 24 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
Hand Work 7 (Set of 7)
2021
Embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Life Circle 3
2021
Beaded embroidery on paper
41.73 x 29.92 in
Safety Pin II, 12 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 14 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
Threads of Life 6 (Set of 8)
2025
Beaded embroidery on paper
11.42 x 16.54 in (each)
Safety Pin 12 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 19 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 18 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
Safety 12 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin 15 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Work from Home 1 (Set of 14)
2020
Embroidery and watercolor on paper
5.91 x 5.91 in (each)
Work from Home 6 (Set of 14)
2020
Embroidery and watercolor on paper
5.91 x 5.91 in (each)
Life of Thread II, 6 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety 8 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin 4 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Sweat Home
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in
Istri
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
11.81 x 15.75 in
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 16 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
Safety 6 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Daily Life Tools 3 (Set of 6)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin 13 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Threads of Life 3 (Set of 8)
2025
Beaded embroidery on paper
11.42 x 16.54 in (each)
Work from Home 3 (Set of 14)
2020
Embroidery and watercolor on paper
5.91 x 5.91 in (each)
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 2 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
Hand Work 4 (Set of 7)
2021
Embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Life of Thread II, 16 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Threads of Life 8 (Set of 8)
2025
Beaded embroidery on paper
11.42 x 16.54 in (each)
Broken Scissor 3 (Set of 3)
2021
Embroidery and watercolor on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Daily Life Tools 1 (Set of 6)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Daily Life Tools 4 (Set of 6)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Life of Thread I, 4 (Set of 5)
2021
Beaded embroidery on paper
41.73 x 29.92 in
Safety Pin II, 11 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety 9 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin 19 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin II, 14 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Work from Home 7 (Set of 14)
2020
Embroidery and watercolor on paper
5.91 x 5.91 in (each)
Work from Home 14 (Set of 14)
2020
Embroidery and watercolor on paper
5.91 x 5.91 in (each)
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 11 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
Life of Thread II, 7 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Life of Thread II, 9 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety 3 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin 5 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin 7 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin 10 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin 20 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Eye
2022
Embroidery on paper
21.65 x 29.92 in
Safety 15 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin II, 13 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Life of Thread I, 5 (Set of 5)
2021
Beaded embroidery on paper
41.73 x 29.92 in
Safety Pin 1 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Work from Home 11 (Set of 14)
2020
Embroidery and watercolor on paper
5.91 x 5.91 in (each)
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 8 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
Hand Work
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
11.81 x 15.75 in
Work from Home 8 (Set of 14)
2020
Embroidery and watercolor on paper
5.91 x 5.91 in (each)
Daily Life Tools 2 (Set of 6)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Work from Home 4 (Set of 14)
2020
Embroidery and watercolor on paper
5.91 x 5.91 in (each)
Equal work Equal pay
2021
Embroidery on paper
41.73 x 29.92 in
Daily Life Tools 6 (Set of 6)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Life of Thread I, 2 (Set of 5)
2021
Beaded embroidery on paper
41.73 x 29.92 in
Safety 2 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Work from Home 5 (Set of 14)
2020
Embroidery and watercolor on paper
5.91 x 5.91 in (each)
Work from Home 12 (Set of 14)
2020
Embroidery and watercolor on paper
5.91 x 5.91 in (each)
Work from Home 13 (Set of 14)
2020
Embroidery and watercolor on paper
5.91 x 5.91 in (each)
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 3 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
Hand Work 2 (Set of 7)
2021
Embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 22 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
Hand Work 1 (Set of 7)
2021
Embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety 17 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety 19 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Threads of Life 7 (Set of 8)
2025
Beaded embroidery on paper
11.42 x 16.54 in (each)
Tapestry
2012
Wire
8.66 x 7.87 in
Daily Life Tools 5 (Set of 6)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Hunger
2022
Embroidery on paper
29.92 x 21.65 in
Life of Thread II, 18 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 21 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
Life of Thread II, 11 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin 8 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Life of Thread II, 1 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Life of Thread II, 2 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Life of Thread II, 19 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 6 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
Hand Work 6 (Set of 7)
2021
Embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Life of Thread I, 1 (Set of 5)
2021
Beaded embroidery on paper
41.73 x 29.92 in
Safety Pin II, 17 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Wire and Veins
2025
Copper wire and threads
9.45 x 23.62 in
Safety 7 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin II, 9 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin II, 19 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety 14 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety 20 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin 18 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin II, 10 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 5 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
Safety Pin II, 16 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Life of Thread II, 5 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Life of Thread II, 17 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin II, 4 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Threads of Life 4 (Set of 8)
2025
Beaded embroidery on paper
11.42 x 16.54 in (each)
Life of Thread II, 4 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin 17 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety 16 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Life of Thread II, 13 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin II, 5 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Life of Thread II, 8 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin 16 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 13 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
Safety Pin 9 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin II, 6 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Safety Pin II, 15 (Set of 20)
2022
Beaded embroidery on paper
15.75 x 11.81 in (each)
Gulistan - Garden of flowers 15 (Set of 24)
2025
Embroidery on Fabriano paper
7.09 x 9.06 in(each)
Spine
2022
Embroidery on paper
47.64 x 33.86 in