Telling Tales of India: National Museums Liverpool World Museum Show

It is indeed a great delight when India is showcased in museums abroad and the delight is made sweeter if you are associated with that initiative. The culmination of a multi-year, multi-artist project with National Museums Liverpool collecting 'contemporary traditional art'  was the stunning show titled Telling Tales of India which featured artists Pushpa Kumari ( Madhubani Art),  Kalam Patua    (Kalighat painting), Mantu Chitrakar ( West Bengal patua art), Nankushia Shyam ( Gond Art), Paresh Rathwa ( Pithora paintings), Ganesh and Teju Jogi ( Jogi art) as well as Sonabai Rajawar amongst others. 

Enjoy the following write-up from the Museum website 

http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/about/mediacentre/2013/telling-tales-release.aspx

World Museum opens its gateway to India in new exhibition

World Museum will be bringing a piece of India to Liverpool this month, with the opening of a new exhibition exploring the role of storytelling in Indian art and culture.

Telling Tales, opening 24 May 2013 until 8 Sep 2013 will showcase the work of seven artists, portraying the traditional and contemporary stories of the country in a vibrant and colourful setting.

From large-scale paintings of village life, to terracotta horses, photographs and video material, the exhibition will offer a colourful, exuberant and exciting insight into 21st century India, immersing visitors in the sights and sounds of the country.

Works from the IIC show

Part of 9/11 scroll by Mantu and Kartik Chitrakar
Seeking My Beloved by Kalam Patua

Surya the Sun God and his chariot by Pradyumna Kumar

Art show at IIC New Delhi

It was wonderful to close our 2011 art calendar with a show organised by the prestigious India International Centre New Delhi. It was fun curating this show titled New Visions: Contemporary Folk arts of India. The artists participating in the show included Pushpa Kumari, Pradyumna Kumar, Mantu Chitrakar, Jaba Chitrakar, Sonia Chitrakar ( the youngest artist @ 13 years), Kalam Patua, Soni Jogi, Prakash Jogi and Govind Jogi. The art traditions represented were Madhubani, West Bengal pattachitra, Kalighat and Jogi art.

All the artists presented very powerful works, ranging in themes such as corruption and the Commonwealth Games, women empowerment, pollution, terrorism, natural disasters such as the tsunami, etc. Sonal Kalra my friend and editor of HT City was the chief guest at the opening which was a lovely event.

The response to the exhibition was good - the quality and depth of the works left most visitors astonished.

Colourful folk art from India - enjoy

Kalam Patua, Kalighat Contemporary

Pushpa Kumari, Madhubani, Contemporary

Pradyumna Kumar and Pushpa Kumari, Traditional aripana