Folklore and mythology have remained recurring themes in the works of the tribal artists of India. At an upcoming show in the Capital, five tribal artists will come together to present these themes through more than 50 artworks. The participating artists are Lado Bai, Gangu Bai, Subhash Amliyar, Bhuri Bai and Sher Singh Bheel.
Artist Lado Bai, who creates visually scintillating artworks in the themes of nature, and artist Amliyar are two among the five artists of the Bhil community, who will be showcasing their work at the exhibition titled Satrangi, which brings folklore and mythology alive on canvas.
In Lado Bai’s work, nature, spirituality and animism of her community are dominant themes. With the encouragement and support of late Indian artist Jagdish Swaminathan, she has developed a contemporary language of traditional artforms. The main motifs in her works are the animal kingdom and Bhil rituals and festivals. Her works demonstrate an episode of a larger story from the folklore. “We prepare for a whole night before starting to paint. There are a lot of rituals that I have shown in my work, and this is exactly how the Bhil culture is,” says Bai.
Artist Amliyar’s works are on the themes of gatlas, gad bapsi and gal bapsi which depict the rituals of the Bhil community. He, too, draws inspiration from nature, but the artist presents it in an unusual form in his paintings.
{{/usCountry}}Artist Amliyar’s works are on the themes of gatlas, gad bapsi and gal bapsi which depict the rituals of the Bhil community. He, too, draws inspiration from nature, but the artist presents it in an unusual form in his paintings.
{{/usCountry}}“Bhil are the second largest tribal community in India. Their work has a very strong resonance with Australian aboriginal art. Their art works are nature-driven and they look simplistic, but they have a narrative. As a step forward, we will be displaying selected works at the upcoming JLF Boulder, Colorado in USA, which is a huge step in taking our culturally rich art forward,” says Anubhav Nath, curatorial director, Ojas Art.
Follow @htlifeandtsyle for more