Natural Colors, Gold and Silver foils on Cotton Cloth
Conventional art forms highlighting the rich and cultural heritage of our country have somewhere taken a backseat. While modern forms are taking centre stage, it’s time we bring back these ancient cultures.
The Traditional and Folk Art exhibition by Art for Concern brings to you beautiful indigenous styles of paintings and folk art like Pichwai by Sushil Soni & Nilesh Kumar, Madhubani Paintings by Manisha Jha, Mata Ni Pachedi(It mean ‘behind the Mother Goddess’ and is a cloth that depicts a temple of the Goddess. When the nomadic Vaghari community was barred from entering temples, they made their own shrines with depictions of the Mother Goddess on cloth. The paintings usually have a set pattern, with the Mother Goddess dominating the central area surrounded by deities and commoners worshipping her) by Sanjay Manubhai Chitara, Phad(In Rajasthan, the large paintings that portray the epic lives of local folk heroes and demi-gods are known as Phad paintings. They represent complex folk narratives, achieved through their specific styles. These paintings form a visual backdrop to all night storytelling performances) by Prakash Joshi & Kalyan Joshi, Pattachitra by Pranab Narayan Das, Gond(The Gond tribe believes that decorating their homes and floors with traditional motifs bring them good luck. Gond art has since transposed onto paper and canvases. The individuality of each Gond artist is defined by their signature styles.)by Venkat Shyam, Sanjhi Paper Art by Mohan Verma, Chola Bronze(These are exquisite sculptures made out of bronze. The figures are moulded using beeswax and oil, coated with clay and baked using dried cow dung. The wax then flows out leaving an empty mould, into which molten bronze is poured. Once that cools and hardens, the details are crafted) by Senthil Sirpum & many more.
10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu
Aims of this show to revive many of our traditional, regional art forms which were slowly dying out, due to a lack of patronage and thereby endure the legacy and splendour India’s artistic heritage and folk art forms. This has provided a platform to many exceptional artists and master craftsmen from across India to look for alternative means to showcase their craft.
Talking about the exhibition, Anjana Khanna, Deputy Director, Art for Concern shares, “In their myriad forms, these traditional art forms serve as essential documentation of India’s longstanding cultural heritage. Our legacy is not to be ignored and forgotten. We at Art for Concern launched TAFA with the specific intent of bringing unique, regional artworks to the art buyers across India. Over the years, it has become a landmark show for patrons looking to select the finest and most authentic works of India’s extensive art culture, and also support underprivileged communities by doing so. The proceeds of the show will go to various grassroots programmes that work for social development”
