Viraj Khanna On Indian Weddings And Zardozi Stories In His LA Solo Debut

The Indian wedding is both an intriguing subject and a symbol. Symbol of a gazillion things. In all-inclusive deal. What began as a light-hearted conversation about wedding drama became a deeper reflection on culture, identity, and spectacle, for artist Viraj Khanna. For his Los Angeles solo debut ‘Why Did I Say Yes?’ at Rajiv Menon Contemporary, Khanna utilised techniques like aari and zardozi to explore the curated perfection of modern life at the cusp of domestic-hood, particularly on social media. 

Set in a city famed for performance and self-image, the exhibition challenges assumptions and invites viewers to look beyond the surface of celebration. Both intimate and expansive, the show is a poignant glimpse into how cultural rituals evolve—and what they reveal about who we are becoming. Read our chat with Khanna below.

ELLE: ‘Why Did I Say Yes?’ is a title loaded with irony, intimacy, and cultural tension. What was the first moment or memory that sparked the idea for this body of work?

Viraj Khanna (VK): This all began during an unexpected conversation with Rajiv, where we were talking about weddings we’d attended—the drama, the excitement, and the fun around them. We had so many entertaining stories to share. That exchange sparked the idea to create a show centered on weddings in LA. The West is fascinated by the ‘Big Fat Indian Wedding‘, but knows very little about it, beyond the perception that it’s a super ‘fun’ and ‘luxurious’ event or party. It just made sense to bring that narrative to LA, and Rajiv Menon Contemporary felt like the perfect space to host it. I wanted to show how there’s so much more to Indian weddings than people imagine, and how beautifully they reflect our culture, histories, and traditions. Every wedding in India is unique, shaped by its own customs, traditions and stories; there could be a thousand shows about them and still not enough. Mine simply offers a small glimpse into just one of them.

ELLE: This exhibition is your first major solo in the US, and it lands in a city like Los Angeles—known for its own performative culture. How does this location shape the way you hope the work is received?

VK: Rajiv is deeply interested in making LA a global destination for diasporic art and culture, and often thinks about how we engage with Hollywood and influencer culture. While putting the show together, we were both aware that many in the West hold very specific ideas about Indian weddings; this presented a great opportunity to challenge those assumptions. My work also engages with social media and similar platforms, exploring how they influence us in everyday life. We now live in a world where our identities are represented through images—especially on social media, which, in itself, is a kind of performance.

ELLE: The Indian wedding is both sacred and excessive, emotional and transactional. What does it reveal to you about contemporary identity, especially among young South Asians?

VK: India is evolving rapidly, and as a result, people’s consumption patterns are changing. We’ve been the fastest-growing economy in the world over the past few years, and the momentum has been incredible. Alongside this, we’ve seen a rise in spending power across all sectors. The luxury space, in particular, has witnessed significant growth, especially after the lockdown. In the wedding industry, luxury designers have seen immense success. My work looks closely at how social media presents us with curated versions of life and how, by nature, it encourages constant comparison.

ELLE: You’ve chosen aari and zardozi—techniques that are traditionally about opulence—to tell stories of identity loss and curated perfection. What drew you to these forms as a language for critique?

VK: To me, it makes complete sense to use opulent visual languages to tell these stories. My work often comments on social media and how we project our ideal lives. We live in a society where we are constantly represented by images. We look at others’ profiles and immediately form opinions about them. In that way, images become a version of who we are. But these representations are almost never rooted in reality. They’re usually heavily curated, and often quite opulent.

ELLE: Collaboration is central to your practice. What has working with traditional artisans taught you—not just technically, but emotionally or philosophically?

VK: Working with artisans has taught me so much about the strength of community and the value of shared knowledge. Embroidery is a living tradition passed down over decades, often from one generation to the next. Anything that continues across generations holds deep meaning and value; if it didn’t, it wouldn’t have survived this long. This shows how collective effort can preserve something truly beautiful—and how communities can protect and pass down remarkable skill and wisdom.

ELLE: Coming from a fashion legacy, was there a moment when you felt a shift—from designing for the body to creating for the soul, in a sense?

VK: In fashion, we design clothes to make people feel a certain way. With art, I’m reflecting the world around me. Through visual language, I can respond to the present moment while also acknowledging the past and considering the future. There’s a kind of layered knowledge in art that speech or writing alone can’t always express. Also, while creating works of art, I can use techniques that might not be commercially viable in fashion but make complete sense in an art context. Hand embroidery is a dying craft in India, and the artisans I work with often tell me how difficult it has become to find young people interested in pursuing it. I try to do as much as I can to support this craft and invest in it meaningfully. By giving it a contemporary spin, I hope to expand its audience and contribute in my own small way.

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