Nikhil Chopra Indian, b. 1974
Further images
For Nikhil Chopra, the act of departure is imbued with the hope of return—a cyclical movement of bodies, memories, and spirits across landscapes that hold traces of the past. In Gulmarg, his hometown, this sense of return becomes deeply personal. The land, like water, remembers everything—encounters, violence, healing—rendering it an archive of human and ecological histories. In evoking Gulmarg, he draws upon its pastoral beauty as both a site of memory and a space of possibility.
The delicate pastel and charcoal effect on the canvas is beautifully preserved through intricate embroidery techniques that mirror the strokes and their directional flow. The landscape comes to life with the rich textures of cotton and silk threads, skillfully applied using a variety of techniques such as back stitch, satin stitch, various knots, and cross stitch. This stunning piece, a true labor of love, took an impressive 6,000 hours to complete.