In collaboration with New Delhi-based gallery Bikaner House, Art Tree is presenting Samanvay, Harmony in Nature – a six-day exhibition that attempts to bring forth a unique experience of Indian folk art forms while highlighting each artist’s unique local ecosystem. To know more about what it has to offer, we speak to the curator of the show Pragati Agarwal, who is also the founder of Art Tree. In a conversation with Indulge, she talks about the art forms and artists featured in the exhibition, the interpretation and significance of folk art in a digital age and much more. Excerpts:
Tell us a bit about the exhibition Samanvay, Harmony in Nature.
We are displaying works of Gond, Madhubani, Phad, Sanjhi and Warli at the ongoing exhibition. I am honoured to be working with a talented team of artists who have worked so hard to bring alive the artworks considering this year’s theme. They all come from different parts of India and with their own stories and I am proud to be the one to get them all on one stage.
Can you tell more about the artists whose works have been featured?
Artist Manisha Jha is a National Award-winning Madhubani artist. She has also been the face of Indian Folk Art at IFAM. Japani Shyam practices Gond and is the daughter of the legendary artist Jangarh Singh Shyam. Ram Soni, on the other hand, is one of the only five surviving artists practicing Sanjhi; his family has been doing this art for nearly eight generations. Similarly, Prakash Joshi is a ninth-generation Phad artist and a National Awardee. Sadashiv and Baalu Mhase are the sons of the iconic Jivya Shoma Mhase, who revived the Warli art form and took it to galleries. Baalu’s son Pravin is also an upcoming Warli artist.
What led to the conceptualisation of such an exhibition?
Though nature is an intrinsic part of most folk and tribal arts, we wanted to highlight its different aspects in a purer form. Our last show, titled Pravaah, was based on the theme of water. Every piece showcased in Pravaah was based on the theme of water and we got a fabulous response from the art connoisseurs too. Hence, this time it is Nature and we intend to showcase nature in different forms of folk art at its best this time.
Take us through the process of planning and curating this exhibit.
Planning a show of this stature takes a lot of effort and time. Deciding on the theme is a difficult task. Especially since we are working on folk art, our options get a bit limited as we have to keep in mind the concept of each art form so as not to lose its essence. All artworks are worked upon and made specially for the show, adhering to the theme. It takes nearly 6-7 months of planning, regular consultation with the artists and logistics to put up a show.
What were the factors you considered while choosing the artists or artworks to be featured?
The artists were chosen based on the theme of nature. Then we chose art forms that highlight nature and depict it in a very important way. Warli is a nature-based art form as the Warli tribe is agrarian. It was initially wall art the women of the tribe did to beautify their homes. They drew fields, harvests, trees, ponds, etc. Sanjhi was chosen because it showcases the upvans and gardens while depicting Krishna and his escapades.
How different do you think is the interpretation of nature in folk art than in other forms of contemporary art?
Folk art is mostly nature-based. In traditional times, people drew what they saw. There were no artists in the modern sense. Art was used either for decorative or religious purposes. With limited topics and subjects to paint, nature was more or less the central theme and hence many interpretations were made as each artist saw it. Contemporary artworks are made without depicting nature at all because of the abundance of many other themes and techniques.
What is the significance of such an exhibition in these times, when art is made openly available online and young aesthetes are used to a different visual composition?
The folk art and craft shows are very significant today for people to understand our heritage. Though all art forms are available online, understanding the techniques and the stories of each art form, and having a touch-and-feel the experience, is immersive and overwhelming. Technology is helpful in understanding art but the real understanding is in its physical form. Preparing the fabric, making the natural dyes and creating mineral pigments for folk paintings is an experience to understand an art form rather than just viewing or making it on a technology-based device.
What would be your advice for someone who plans to pursue folk art but chooses social media or the digital world to build a following for it?
In today’s times, social media is ruling the ruse. It should be a carrier and not the crux. Unless the art is good, relevant and honest, it’s difficult to garner a great following. It is an uphill task but if the effort is genuine, one will get a good following. So, my advice to someone planning to pursue folk art would be to learn it from the masters and then innovate to take it to another level of excellence or to contemporise it while keeping the techniques intact.
Tell us something about your upcoming work.
We are proposing to launch some women-centric art programmes, where we aim to involve women in learning some male-dominated art forms and, over a period of time, make them financially independent. The project is at a very nascent stage and will be announced later. We are also proposing to do exhibitions to showcase the works of women folk artists.
Entry free. Till November 8. At Bikaner House, Delhi.
Email: prattusa@newindianexpress.com
Twitter: @MallikPrattusa