Two contemporary galleries, – Exhibit320 and Blueprint12 – have come together to create a platform for Folk and Tribal Art. Given power – From tradition to contemporary’, a show that is an endeavor to showcase a selection of works collected from the interiors of Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and Maharashtra.
The work offers an invitation to the reader to discover other regions and artists that epitomize the incomparable diversity of the contemporary tribal and popular Indian art.’The show is conceptualised by Gallerist Rasika Kajaria, Mandira Lamba & Ridhi Bhalla and is being presented at Exhibit 320.
The exhibition will inaugurate with a private preview on Thursday 23rd November 2017. The preview will be followed by a month long public viewing from Friday 24th November – 24th December 2017.
Mandira Lamba one of three who have conceptualised the show says, “Under this banner, our mission is to create a platform for folk and tribal artists to present their work and their perspectives. We are exhibiting Master folk artists and their immediate apprentices. Master Folk Artists demonstrate superior levels of craftsmanship and creativity, often introducing new materials and innovations that express both traditional and contemporary imagery and values. In this way, traditional folk art forms evolve as dynamic living traditions.”
“We propose to exhibit these narratives from various genres of Indian Folk & Tribal art and engage the viewer by demonstrating their dynamic nature, their evolution in tandem with the socio-cultural environment and the transformation in building traditions as seen in recent times,” remarks Rasika Kajaria
Ridhi Bhalla adds, “Tribal Art Forms is an initiative that has been conceptualized to research into these traditions and work with artists who have not only ritualistically maintained their tradition but also developed to reach a much larger audience.”
The artists include Bhuri Bai who is one of the first contemporary Bhil artists, Balu Jivya Mashe and Sadashiv Soma Mashe are the sons of the renowned Warli artist Jivya Soma Mashe. Japani
Shyam is the daughter of the famous Gond artist Jangarh Singh Shyam. Kalam Patua is one of the foremost figures of patachitra painting who revived the art of kalighat painting in the modern times.
Ladoo Bai belongs to the pioneering early group of artists who with the Indian modernist Jagdish Swaminathan in Bhopal developed a contemporary vocabulary of traditional art forms. Mayankh Kumar Shyam, the son of Jangarh Singh Shyam has already created a space for himself in the world of art.
Mayankh who is just twenty one happens to be featured in the book ‘Freedom’ sixty years after Indian Independence (published by Art and Heritage Foundation. 2007), alongwith Rabindranath Tagore, Paramjit and Arpita Singh, Jamini Roy and other contemporary artists. Nankusia Shyam learnt her art from her husband, Jangarh Singh Shyam.
Nankusia has travelled extensively in India and abroad. In 2002 Nankusia was presented a state level award by the Madhya Pradesh Hasta Shilpa Vikas Nigam.
Ram Singh Urveti has many accolades to his name including the 2001 Kali Das Award in Ujjain, MP and the South Central Zone Cultural Centre Award for Tribal Art, 1998.
Explore more such stories on GlobalFashionStreet.com
