Ojas Art Gallery’s latest show titled Merging Narratives brings together three award-winning artists Bhajju Shyam, Lado Bai, Santosh K Das together. The artists, known for their distinct styles, are acclaimed for their representation of different genres of folk and indigenous art of the country. While Santosh K Das is known for his lyrical Mithila art, Bhajju Shyam’s Gond art has gone places both on the international and Indian front. In addition, one will also witness Lado Bai’s depiction Bheel tradition in the gallery.
The artists, all previous Ojas Art Award winners, in total are showcasing 50 works of art.
Anubhav Nath, Curatorial Director of Ojas Art Gallery in a conversation with The Morning Standard talks about the similarities and unique aspects of these artists. “The main similarity is how all the three artists use nature and folklore as a basis for their works, which also makes the work very narrative. The difference lies clearly in the execution of the work and imagery. All three are totally different from each other and also distinct.”
Known for graphic experimentation with forms, Das is best-known for his work on Krishna Series and the Gujarat Series which was followed by a series of Buddha and Yoga. He also actively mentors young artists. According to him, “More opportunities for artists at all levels are required. More museums and galleries opening up will give homegrown artists more avenues.” Lado Bai is one of those early Bheel art practitioners who made from creating artworks in her village in Jhabua to playing an active part in the making of Bhopal’s Bharat Bhavan. She also worked with renowned artist Jagdish Swaminathan.
“My story has motivated many women who have taken to the arts in a holistic manner. These are our ritual, so the women have anyways been practicing this for centuries. At present, education need to be emphasised on,” she says. Artist Bhajju Shyam, known for his Gond art, became the first tribal artist to work with St+Art India Foundation culminating in a painted wall at the Lodhi Art District, Delhi. His efforts are being recognised and last year, he had a semi- retrospective exhibition at Bharat Bhavan Museum. He says, “The Bharat Bhavan retrospective show was in January 2019. Approx 40 works were displayed. It was my first solo in Bhopal and there was a great response with a large number of visitors from all walks of life.”