Jun 03, 2022

Inherited Arts Forum at India Art Fair 2022

Exploring the world of indigenous art forms in Indiab
Indian lore is rooted in storytelling, iconography and symbolism that, in grandiose or mundane forms, surrounds us inevitably. From the first known source of communication, take the logo-syllabic script and signs found in caves dating back to the Indus Valley civilisation as an example, to eventually evolving into a diverse vocabulary from local traditions, cultures, regions, religions and the environment, these narratives resound the mysterious whys and hows of the complex belief systems and routine practices that are followed till date in the Indian subcontinent. Temporally intersecting, these narratives emulate a sense of magic realism that blur the lines between mythology and history.

Indigenous art practices in India have also been a deliberate point of entry for postcolonial dialogue and to render a more robust voice in mainstream displays, more recently at the India Art Fair 2022. The booth, Inherited Arts Forum, was curated on these lines to not only preserve some of these art forms but also to contextualise traditional within a contemporary setup. With a handpicked range of paintings, museum-quality textiles and sculptures from the 20th century, the display included anthropomorphic structures of mukha-linga icons, bhuta masks, Phulkari textiles, Warli and Madhubani paintings. Interspersed with the knowledge of history and origin of works, the display generated a transparent and egalitarian experience.

Walls enriched with Madhubani and Warli paintings, both forms traditionally practised by the women of respective communities in their domestic spaces, were a spectacle to behold. The Madhubani style is associated with local myths and legends originated in the Madhubani region of Bihar’s Darbhanga district, also known as the birthplace of Sita, an important figure in the ancient Hindu epic of Ramayana. This style flourished with the depiction of prominent subjects like religion, representation of deities, social events of childbirth and matrimonial ceremonies, and abundance of nature. The artists would procure the paints and tools from nature, like pigment from flowers and brushes from twigs and bamboo sticks and pursue the quintessential robust colour palette, geometric patterns and stylised imagery. The early 1960s saw a massive shift in the trajectory of Madhubani paintings with the introduction of paper and other media in the region as this was the first time that the genre entered the global realm and carved newer avenues for women to venture into the market and make a living from their practice. Some of the artists that came into the limelight included Jagdamba Devi, who received the first Padma Shri for Madhubani paintings, Mahasundari Devi, Ganga Devi, Jamuna Devi as well as Padma Shri Baua Devi, who has shown her work in various countries including Spain, France, Japan and Germany, Sita Devi, who was also felicitated with the Padma Shri in 1981, and Anmana Devi, whose works were on display.

Warli paintings originated in a tribal community along the foothills of Sahyadhri mountains in the Thane district of Maharashtra. The form of art was not formally recognised until the 1970s, even though it has been in practice since centuries. Warli performs the social function of recording important events and transmitting local stories pictorially, amongst its most striking features are the exuberant, swirling geometric patterns inspired by nature, like circle for the sun and the moon, triangle for trees and mountains and square for sacred enclosures. With the brown mud walls consisting of cow dung as a background, the figures and motifs were contoured by the austere white paint, however the practice has now shifted contemporary media like treated canvas and paper. Warli art consists of myriad strokes, is relatively minimalistic, secular in subject and highly imaginative in composition. One of the most celebrated artists, Jivya Soma Mashe, also known as the master of movement and geometry, was the first man to take on a female-dominated tradition and mobilise it commercially. In his work he captures the constant cyclical movement of life and is inspired by folklore and other stories narrated to children. Works by his sons, Sadashiv Mashe and Balu Mashe continue to carry the tradition forward and have shown with various galleries across the world, were a part of the exhibit.

In a yet another proud presentation were Phulkari textiles in the Sainchi style that emerge from the cities of Bhatinda, Ferozepur and Faridkot district. Origin of Phulkari is attributed to pre-partition Punjab (present-day Punjab and Pakistan), as well as in Haryana. It derives from the words phul or flower and akari or shape, which together mean a work of flowers. Traced back to the 7th century CE, it is believed that this genre of textiles was originally prepared with real flowers on silk and mulmul as a domestic endeavour undertaken by the women of the house upon the birth of a female child. It was not until the mid-19th century they gained recognition in the international markets. Phulkari, as we know it today, is a poetic rendering of silk embroidery on hand-spun cloth, like Khaddar, where the texture aids in executing the patterns proportionately without a blueprint. The cloth is embroidered on the reverse side with brightly coloured motifs and geometric patterns using long and short darn stitches. The practice in the eastern and western parts of Punjab (now Pakistan) varies primarily in its colour palette, where the former use the vibrant shades of red, pink, orange and yellow which they consider auspicious, the latter employ rich colours of gold and ivory. Highly figurative, the Sainchi Phulkari style outlines the figures in black ink or embroidery and depicts scenes from everyday village life. Yards of Phulkaris were passed on as heirloom to the women of the family on auspicious occasions.

While the framed paintings and textiles coloured the walls, what added to cultural tangibility of the space were its sculptures. Bold embodiments of a performance driven, ancient tradition of worship were the Bhuta masks from the Tulu Nadu region of Karnataka. Bhuta in Sanskrit means spirit. The religious ceremony called bhuta kola involves an oracle or a priest who channels the invoked spirit via a performance, who then interacts with its audience by answering questions or solving quarrels. A similar custom called, Theyyam, is practised in the North Malabar region of Kerala where ritual objects, metals masks and ornaments are placed in a sthana after the ceremony and offerings are made. The masks are usually carved in wood or sculpted in bronze. Bhuta representation is primarily in totemic forms of Panjurli (pig or boar), Pilichamundi (tiger), Nandikona (bull) bhutas, or portrayals acquired from the Hindu pantheon, like Shiva’s attendants or ganas and Maisandaya, a deity in the form of a bull, worshipped by agrarian communities. Bhuta ceremonies vary across regions and involve a highly charged atmosphere where ancient narrative legends or Paadannas are recited by a woman of the community. Thick metal alloys of the masks make them resistant to the elements of fire, water and air. This ritual is believed to provide protection against invaders and robbers, elements of fire, storm, flood, drought, disease and to assure the fertility of the soil, livestock and human experience.

The anthropomorphic icons or Mukhalingams from 20th century acquired the center-stage for their fine craftsmanship and compelling narratives. The Lingam is an abstract visualisation, a phallic symbol of the Hindu god, Shiva. Stone lingams are often masked with metallic, cylindrical Mukhalingams with a hollow casting that are believed to safeguard the worshipper from their naked presence. During the Kushana period (1st to 3rd century CE) in northern India, a human face was added to the lingam with a stern, moustached, unsmiling dispositon along with a third eye and a crescent moon to allow the devotees to see and be seen by Shiva. Mukhalingams are cast in a single head, called eka-mukhalinga, and can go upto featuring five heads, called the pancha-mukhalinga. To indicate the power of the god, a protective cobra extends over Shiva’s head in some sculptures. An enormous variety of mukhalingams have been found in Maharashtra and Karnataka dating back to 17th-19th centuries when the practice gained more popularity.

The aura of the booth not only promoted the art but literature around it, especially with B.N. Aryan’s book, Masterpieces of Indian Folk and Tribal Art. Smaller sculptures from Orissa and Bastar were also presented as collectibles to promote the work of artisans in a space with larger displays of contemporary art. Speculations on the hierarchies within art vis-a-vis the work of local art communities in India attempting to navigate through consumer markets has a history of being encased in glass, where one looks at the other but the distance is evident. While some artists have managed to seep through its cracks into international markets, the struggle continues for others all the same as they try to create a space in the rubric of contemporary aesthetics. With this attempt, Inherited Arts Forum showcased a fraction of a larger and more diverse ouevre of art, to rever generational practices and to revive and reminisce a glorious past.

By Chavi Jain