AT A GLANCE
Sadhvi Jawa
Assistant Professor – Senior Scale
Area of Practice:
Sadhvi is a textile artist and an educator. She is an alumnus of Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology, which is now SMI. She completed her Masters in Textile Design from the Royal College of Art.
OVERVIEW
Sadhvi, originally from Panipat, Haryana, completed her undergraduate studies at the Srishti Institute of Art, Design, and Technology in Bengaluru and her master’s at the Royal College of Art in London on a fully-funded scholarship. While at RCA, she received an award for excellence in colour usage and has exhibited her work nationally and internationally.
Meaning and Making through tactile materials are central to Sadhvi’s practice. She turns to hands-on making as a way of grounding herself in humanness—working through moments of difficulty, transforming shame into expression, finding joy in creating beauty out of the mundane, and cultivating a sense of belonging within spaces that often feel overwhelming. Her artistic practice intersects with pedagogy, guided by the same values: opening spaces where young people can channel raw emotions through material making, articulating what they cannot yet voice in words.
EDUCATION
- Undergrad – Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology
- Advanced Diploma Programme – Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology
- Masters – Royal College of Art
WORK EXPERIENCE
Sadhvi has taught for over ten years, specializing in sustainable textile practices and design for children and the elderly. In addition to teaching, she has illustrated children’s literature.
INTEREST AREAS
- Education
- Textile art
- Design for children
CURRENT PRACTICE AT SRISHTI
Sadhvi’s interest in materials and varied techniques of making, be it, paper making, illustration, weaving or working with clay inspired by earth architecture technique influences her teaching practice. Sadhvi lays emphasis on hands-on learning from observations and enquiry, allowing making with materials lead to learning and understanding for learners. As an educator, she encourages extensive process work that creates a conversation between materials, techniques and makers, in an endeavor to let learners find their language to communicate.
TEACHING PORTFOLIO
- Sadhvi’s interest in materials and varied techniques of making, be it, paper making, illustration, weaving or working with clay inspired by earth architecture technique influences her teaching practice.
- She lays emphasis on hands-on learning from observations and enquiry, allowing making with materials lead to learning and understanding for learners.
- As an educator, she encourages extensive process work that creates a conversation between materials, techniques and makers, in an endeavor to let learners find their language to communicate.
CREATIVE PRACTICE & OUTREACH
Sadhvi uses tapestry weaving and various materials to depict the stories of people and their surroundings. Her work focuses on a place’s identity’s social, cultural, political, and ecological aspects. She has created pieces inspired by flower markets, fishermen and their lakes, and labourers and construction sites, with the latter becoming a significant source of inspiration for her. Initially disliking construction sites due to their impact on resources, labour, and local communities, she was struck by the beauty of a construction site from an aerial view. This experience led her to contemplate the complex nature of urbanization and its impact on the environment and society, ultimately becoming a significant theme in her work.
