The Gondwana Art Project
The Gondwana Art Project is currently ongoing and is focused on tribal artisans from the Gondwana Region in central India, i.e Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra, practicing Gond, Warli and Bhil art. CCDF has selected five artists from a list of hundreds for this project. These Gond, Warli and Bhil artists have been selected through an assessment of their quality of work, talent, and their current economic status.
Under this project, CCDF’s mission is to create a platform for tribal artists to present their work and their perspectives demonstrating their craftsmanship and creativity, introducing new methods and techniques that express both traditional and contemporary imagery and values.
All artists involved in The Gondwana Art project are creating artworks, under consultation and guidance of the CCDF designer Anmol Yadav. The artworks are being prepared over a period of 6 months starting from September 2019. The goal of this project is to ensure that the artworks are unique pieces of tribal art incorporating design elements keeping in mind a wide range of global audiences. During the project, the artisans get an assured stipend and they are allowed to freely express their skills and experiment with new techniques, design and colour palette, while keeping intact the authenticity of the art. The narratives focus on how the subject is created and details the cultural ethos of the paintings.
In this initiative, CCDF promotes artists and their art form that evolves from the dynamic living traditions. This project offers an invitation to the viewer to discover Gondwana region and artists that epitomise the incomparable diversity of contemporary tribal and popular Indian art.
Artworks
Tribal Deer
This folklore depicts a deer of the forest. The deer is considered to be one of the most auspicious animals amongst the tribal community, which has large spreading antlers, branching like a tree, with birds perching upon them. These antlers blend into the background of the woods and help camouflage it from predators.
Style: Gond
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Artist: Anita Shyam
Peepal Tree
Peepal tree is believed to house the Trimurti i.e Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh in a tree form. The Gods are said to hold their councils in this tree, which is associated with spiritual significance.
Style: Gond
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Artist: Anita Shyam
Holi Rituals
This folklore narrates the rituals of bhil tribe during the festival of Holi. In this painting, the bhils are celebrating Holi in a local fair in which the head of the tribe offers prayers to the galbassa which is used to offer sacrifices to the many gods and mud idols for good health and wellbeing of the community.
Style: Bhil
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Artist: Geeta Bhairya
From Soil to Land
The painting sums up the changing times of farming and urbanisation of the period. The Warli people have lead simple lives and have been dependent on nature for food and living. They did not believe in disrupting earth or taking more than needed but on the contrary, the earth is shrinking day by day for the purpose of urbanisation.
Style: Warli
Medium: Acrylic and geru on cloth
Artist: Rajesh Mor
Fox and Crocodile
The greedy crocodile attempts to trap and kill the fox. The cunning fox gets away with the conspiracies but gets bitten off by a scorpion and dies. The painting depicts the uncertainties of life and expresses the profound truth of this universe.
Style: Warli
Medium: Acrylic and cow dung on cloth
Artist: Anita Balu Mhase
Tiger and Deer
Apparent enemies of the forest, tiger, and deer come together in this creative visualisation. Tiger being the guardian of the forest displays a furious rendition in the front for his survival in the habitat.Painting from the series of The Gondwana Art Project - a social initiative to up-skill tribal art forms of India.
Style: Gond
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Artist: Anita Shyam