Monika Correa’s textile work titled White Tiger is an ode to the deep history of textile art in the country and highlights the exploitation of both the animal and the artist. Historically, the white tiger has been seen as a separate species, but in reality, the white colour comes from a genetic mutation. The rarity and elegance of a white tiger are echoed in Correa’s body of work, as her seminal weaving is marked by an experimental removal of reed at a juncture to create an improvised and freeing aesthetic, exuding monumental peace. It is also a reminder that textile work is not a “separate species” from what is traditionally defined as art, it is an art that is dynamic, rooted in heritage and cultural identity. 

The white tiger’s painful history represents the exploitative history of textile artists in the country. With the growing fascination with the white tiger, zoos started forced inbreeding amongst them, causing suffering to the cubs born with health deformities, defective organs and immune deficiencies. Under the guise of field conservation projects, the white tigers are incessantly exploited to be a spectacle for human viewership and profit maximisation. Similarly, Indian textile art is characterised by a painful coercive colonial history. Fearful of the growing market in Europe for the colourful and bold textile work, laws were passed to restrict imports and orders were issued to use white instead of red dye to suit Western tastes. This, like the white tiger, was a human-engineered mutation. With the emergence of industrialisation, the British systematically destroyed the Indian textile fabric industry, making their own products cheaper and quicker, and restricting domestic markets within the subcontinent. Correa’s White Tiger is a testament to the colonial project and a nod to the current trend of prestige that the textile art industry is finally receiving.