Folk art no longer belongs to the niche domain of ‘Indian festivals’. Embraced by contemporary environments and mixed with modern design, it has almost taken on a ‘cool’ element. Also, with the pandemic threatening our very existence, there is a heightened awareness of the need to protect our heritage. “And once you notice it, folk art really speaks for itself,” says Srila Chatterjee of Baro, a furniture and art store in Mumbai.
Some years ago, Chatterjee remembers being “coerced into having an Odisha Pattachitra artist come to my home and show me his work”. She was terrified that she would end up getting some despite having no place to even hang a pin. “But the artist was desperate to sell and I wanted to help. I took photographs of each painting and sent the images to my sister in Seoul and a friend in South Carolina. Between them, we sold 16 works!”
This incident reinforced her belief that traditional art was very much in demand. Chatterjee’s recent Affordable Art Show at Mumbai’s Method in Kala Ghoda is her way of bringing folk art to the fore and also make it more accessible. “It is an attempt to break the barriers that people tend to see and feel when they hear the word ‘art’,” she adds. The curator takes us through the works of five artists at the show.
Jamnalal Kumhar >>
A master terracotta sculptor, Kumhar comes from Molela in Rajasthan. Working with rich mud from the River Beas, he started out crafting flat tiles that were used as votives during festivals and celebrations. But you cannot keep a creative mind captive in one particular style. Soon, he started incorporating 3D aspects into his art and also began experimenting with the size. At the show, he has murals and also an exclusive coloured collection framed in glass.
<< Sanjay Chitara
Belonging to the once-nomadic Vaghari tribe in Gujarat, this community was not allowed entry into temples. Thus was born ‘Mata ni Pachedi’—the community’s silent defiance by creating their own shrines wherever they were. Made from painted cloths joined together, these ‘canvases’ would be hung behind the idol of the Goddess. As times evolved, the community no longer had the ‘need’ for it. But the practice as an art form sustained. Chitara has brought his own creativity to it by adding new colours and greater finesse. For the show, he has specially painted smaller cloths, but with all the details intact
<< Pranab Narayan Das
This National Award-winning Pattachitra artist from Odisha carried his craft from the village of Raghurajpur to his atelier in Puri. Along the journey, his art evolved too. From traditional handmade paper, the canvas changed to tussar silk. Using brushes made from the hair of a rat’s tail, Das worked painstakingly detailing each canvas. Das’s group of eight would work together on a painting. The artist succumbed to Covid in April this year but has left behind a rich heritage of artworks celebrating gods and goddesses, most notably Jagannath, the avatar of Vishnu and Odisha’s favourite deity.
<<Anwar Chitrakar
Those familiar with Pattachitra art of West Bengal would know of this innovative mind who has taken the traditional style and added his own artistry to come up with a modern interpretation. Chitrakar’s Kalighat canvases boast his political and social beliefs. Using the same colour palette and sticking to similar character definitions, he adds his own worldview. This results in a seamless merging of the traditional and the modern, for example, babus and bibis ridng a bike.
Ramesh Tekam>>
Madhya Pradesh’s Gond tribe—the largest indigenous group in India—is known for its art practice. Tekam takes this a step forward. Unlike other traditional art, he is not averse to using modern material. His artwork can be found on the walls of hospitals, schools and homes. Despite modernising the art form, he admits it is a struggle to convince the newer generation to continue with the traditional practice. At the exhibition, he mesmerises with a variety—from postcard size to big, individual artworks.
What & Where
The Affordable Art Show, Method, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai; Till August 8; Price points: Rs 2,000-Rs 2 lakh