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.

Outsider /Visionary Art

Teju Behn, Fashion

Soni Jogi, Washing


Somi Jogi , Krishna

Outsider or visionary art the way I see it is art that is self-taught and in the case of India, outside of any established tradition. Visionary Art in some context is seen as art made by people with psychological issues who have found expression for their inner landscape in the art-work they do. In India, the Jogi family from Ahmedabad does what I call "Outsider Art", their lack of education no bar to the felicity with which they yield pen and colour. The father Ganesh Jogi, the mother Teju Behn, the sons Govind and Prakash, the daughters Somi and Sangita and of late, the daughter-in-laws, Soni , Govind's wife and Kanta, Prakash's wife -- all draw and paint, in styles that are quite different. My story on them made it to the cover story of the Folk Art Messenger magazine in USA which is published by the Folk Art Society of America http://http//www.folkart.org/mag/ganesh-jogi-teju-ben

Enjoy their art !!

Remembering a win: Pradyumna Kumar

It was a wonderful day for us when we learnt that Pradyumna Kumar has become the first Indian to ever win the Grand Prize at the 15th NOMA CONCOURS (2006) in Japan. The fact that he was chosen from 522 entries from across 48 countries was stupendous. His entry was an illustrated book " How the Firefly got its Light " and comprised of a series of paintings done in the Madhubani style. This book is now being published by Mapin. Here are some pictures from that extra-ordinary win

Cross-Cultural Exchanges

One of my goals is to take traditional artists from India to venues across the world where they can interact with artists from other cultures and showcase their own traditions. Such exchanges allow for creativity to unfold in new, sometimes unexpected ways and lead to dialogue, sometimes without language.

Here are some pictures from Crosshatched, a cross-cultural exchange programme supported by the Australia-India Council wherein three artists from India ( Pushpa Kumari, a Madhubani artist, Pradyumna Kumar, a paper-machie sculptor from Madhubani and Mantu Chitrakar, a pattachitra artist from West Bengal) travelled to Melbourne and worked with Australian artists Ann Ferguson, and Vipoo Srivilasa. They also conducted workshops with children of all ages at different venues.

Mantu Chitrakar singing out a scroll

Vipoo and Pushpa with one of their collaborative work

Story-telling - Minhazz with Pradyumna's award winning story How the Firefly got its Light

Mantu Chitrakar with his daughter Sonia's work on the walls at The Early Learning Centre

Ann and Pradyumna working on their Fusion Tree
For more details of the project see http://www.crosshatched.multiply.com/

Colourful folk art from India - enjoy

Kalam Patua, Kalighat Contemporary

Pushpa Kumari, Madhubani, Contemporary

Pradyumna Kumar and Pushpa Kumari, Traditional aripana

Patachittra Painting from West Bengal

Colourful, bold and bright, Pattachittra is a narrative art tradition from West Bengal which combines visual art ( the scrolls ) with performance art - the artist or another person sings out a song which accompanies each narrative. Believe me when I say that it is quite an experience ...... the singer has only his/her voice .. no musical instrument and as the scroll is unrolled, the voice soars and dips as the story unfolds ....amazing performance !!

Scroll on HIV AIDS

Scroll on the 2006 Tsunami

Mantu Chitrakar singing out a scroll

Eye Candy - Kalighat Painting by Kalam Patua

The Hypocrite
Tiger -Woman

From the eastern shores of India, Kalighat painting - an art style that is not steeped in tradition and antiquity but a rather recent one - for more information read
http://www.craftrevival.org/CraftArtDetails.asp?CountryCode=INDIA&CraftCode=003674