Viraj Khanna Turns Indian Weddings into Artful Satire at ‘Why Did I Say Yes?

It began, as many great ideas do, with a throwaway line. “One of my friends, who had recently gotten married, had exhaustingly said, ‘Why did I say yes?’,” recalls artist Viraj Khanna. “And thus, the title emerged.” That half-exasperated confession became the spark for Why Did I Say Yes? Khanna’s latest solo exhibition at the Rajiv Menon Contemporary in Los Angeles, USA, where the Indian wedding is both a muse and a mirror, lovingly lampooned, painstakingly rendered, and refracted through embroidery’s glinting lens.

Viraj Khanna is among India’s most compelling young voices in contemporary art. Working with traditional embroidery techniques like aari and zardozi, Khanna transforms his towering fashion world into a language of storytelling. He draws on a deeply personal history of growing up in a home steeped in couture, shadowing artisans, and assessing fabric samples in his family’s atelier to reimagine embroidery not as ornament, but as critique. “Many of the works in this show are essentially two-dimensional versions of real garments,” he says. “A lot of the fabric used is upcycled from these real outfits…using embroidery just made sense.”

The exhibition unfolds as both a love letter and satire, where celebrations from the ‘wedding circuit’, be it the sangeets, the baraats, the endless photoshoots, are captured in luminous thread and beading, but never without a wry wink. “It is a love letter to weddings and a satire of society,” Khanna explains. “India is evolving rapidly…this economic growth has changed consumption patterns, especially in weddings. This show is a reflection of all of that.”

Many of the works are pulled from real events, especially one lavish wedding of a close friend. “The baraat, in particular, is very memorable,” he says, “My friends and I had taken the car keys and thrown them, so the car couldn’t move forward—basically to party for longer. One friend even lay down in front of the vehicle to stop it from going forward… It was chaotic, hilarious, and unforgettable.” These embroidered spectacles, coupled with sharp, often unspoken captions, create a striking duality. “The captions often express things people are thinking but don’t usually say aloud.”

Though deeply Indian in its imagery, Why Did I Say Yes? is also aimed at a global audience fascinated by the opulence of Indian celebration. “I want Indian weddings to be seen as sites of cultural strength,” he says. “They reflect our finest techniques in food, textiles, music, and celebration. But they’re also deeply emotional and very human.”

His mother, renowned designer and a premier choice for brides in the country, Anamika Khanna, was initially apprehensive about how the work would land. “She was concerned about how Western audiences would respond,” Viraj says, “but after the opening, which had hundreds in attendance, she’s absolutely overjoyed and really proud.”

Now, as Khanna continues his exploration of spectacle, intimacy, and identity through embroidery, he still attends weddings. Just with a camera in hand. “That takes away a bit from the fun of just being present,” he admits, “but if I don’t take photos, I end up feeling guilty for much longer afterwards.”