Artist Jodhaiya Bai Baiga was born in a forested region of Umariya in Madhya Pradesh. Most of her life was spent working as a labourer, supporting her family, until in her sixties she discovered her passion for making art.
The exhibition, 'Bloom at Dusk' brings together more than 50 paintings made by Baiga, after she started creating art with the guidance of artist Ashish Swami, who had set up an arts centre near her home. Curated by Minhazz Majumdar, the exhibition will open at Delhi's Ojas Art gallery and will remain on view till March 11.
She first worked with clay, gourds and papier mâché before beginning to use the acrylics on paper and canvas. Over time, she developed a distinctive visual language influences by Baiga cosmology, forest life and spiritual beliefs. Her works feature divine figures, ancestral spirits, ritual dancers, animals and trees.
Motifs such as the sacred mahua tree, Lord Shiva and Baghesur, the tiger god also appear in the artworks. Alongside myth and celebration, her art also addresses environmental concerns. For instance, in works like 'The Burning of Bandhavgarh', she conveys concern on forest fires and ecological loss.
“Her paintings turn memory into living colour,” curator Minhazz Majumdar praised Baiga's art. On the other hand, Anubhav Nath, director of Ojas Art, described the show as her first major solo retrospective.
Baiga received the Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2022 and the prestigious Padma Shri in 2023. Her work has been shown in India and abroad, including exhibitions in Milan and Paris.