A Grotesque Spirit

Living in Rome, Krithika was constantly inspired by the city’s art and architecture. Everyday walks became an opportunity to discover another reality, filled with intricate details, fantastical forms, and grotesque creatures that sparked her imagination and a desire to create stories of her own.

For this project, Krithika reinterpreted the idea of the grotesque through her own visual language, finding unexpected connections between Roman grotesque and the Japanese concept of yokai—supernatural spirits and beings rooted in Japanese folklore and animistic traditions. Bringing together these two rich and historically distinct cultures, she explored their shared fascination with the mysterious, the fantastical, and the otherworldly.

Krithika began by hand-drawing elements discovered throughout Rome, from architectural details to ornamental forms and grotesque figures. She then introduced a spirit inspired by yokai into each design, creating a playful yet richly layered dialogue between Roman ornamentation and Japanese folklore. Each composition tells the story of a spirit framed within a world of grotesque decoration.

The colour palette draws from the earthy and atmospheric tones of Rome, layered with the rich colours associated with Japanese woodblock prints. In keeping with the historical depth of both cultures, the collection was primarily developed using natural fibres, with occasional recycled polyester, allowing the concept to remain both tactile and grounded.

The intricate designs were developed to be realised through jacquard weaving, bringing the illustrations to life through texture, depth, and pattern. The designs were realised in collaboration with Clerici Tessuto, Como.

This exploration allowed Krithika to deepen her appreciation for human creativity and cultural traditions, while discovering unexpected connections between two powerful visual cultures. By approaching both with curiosity and respect, she created a mystical world that is distinctly her own.