Techniques older than the gallery, in the hands that kept them alive.
Kelly Wearstler has spent a career starting from an idea and asking craft to catch up to it. Æquō asked her to work the other way around, letting the material and the technique lead, then designing from there. That approach produced Lahar and Tarang, two collections unveiled at Mumbai Gallery Weekend inside an exhibition called By Fire — glass enameling, bronze casting, and burnt teak, each shaped by hand using techniques passed down for generations.
The belief driving the collaboration was simple: that Indian craft traditions deserve an international platform, and that the right collaborator can push a technique forward while keeping what makes it specific. Wearstler, in Handa's words, "entered our network with remarkable clarity," selecting three distinct crafts from workshops the gallery had grown alongside since its earliest days and folding them into one cohesive process. Her practice and the workshops operate at very different scales, and they came together easily.
The æquō team introduced me to traditional craft techniques — processes for which the region has been known for centuries, with knowledge passed down through generations. Understanding that lineage, that depth of expertise carried forward over time, transforms the way you approach the work.
Lahar
Lahar reinterprets Wearstler's signature 3D vector motif as a pattern cast directly into bronze, paired with glass enameling that builds a dimensional color all its own. Bar cabinets, consoles, coffee tables, and light fixtures come finished in bone, ocean, ebony, and steel, each patina pulling a different mood out of the same bronze.
Tarang
Tarang starts with fire: teak carved by hand into a bench, chair, and stool, then burned until the charring becomes the finish. Bronze detailing gives each piece real weight, marking the wood's passage from raw material to something lasting.
Onyx possesses a translucence that beautifully interacts with natural light, highlighting its intricate banding and veining. It proved to be a mesmerizing material to experiment with.
