Exhibition Of Paintings By Adivasi Lok Kala Academy: Events in Hyderabad

REVIEW FOR EXHIBITION OF PAINTINGS BY...

Tribal tattoos as art? Yes, it's on and it's in. Get some authentic Gond and Bhil tattoos for walls, all this week at Chitramayee.

The Adivasi Lok Kala & Tulsi Sahitya Academy of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, in collaboration with Chitramayee State Gallery of Fine Arts, is hosting an exhibition of paintings by the tribal artists of Madhya Pradesh. The exhibition titled Angraag, featuring about 50 traditional tattoos executed in paintings by women of the Gond and Bhil tribes, Shantibai Marawi, Mangalabai Marawi and Hansliben, will be showcased till 15th February.

Tribal art is an impulsive expression owing to the experience of being in nature and that of natural living. Although ritual practices take up a key role, it is closely linked to food, well-being, health and survival. The uninhibited stylization of each tribal art form is colorful and vibrant, and redolent with the natural expression of people. The linear tattoos in black ink are intricate and evocative. There are intricate and inter-patterned visualizations of trees, birds and animals, and of myth and folklore from the Gond, Bhil and Baiga tribes in central India. Each painting revolves around a narration referring to the legend, myth or folktale associated with each image.

In Bhil paintings, insects, birds, animals, plants and other complex aspects of life are depicted in the paintings and murals. Symbols of the sun, the moon, the lion, the bow and the arrow also are part of their paintings. The Bhils are culturally rich, and a reflection of their aesthetic tradition is noticed in their clothing and objects of daily use.

The Gonds believe that trees stand central to life, and that the spirits of many things lie in them. They are full of activity all day, giving shade, support, shelter and food to all. Only during the night do they have time for rest. Contemporary life is also expressed through simply stylized forms. The use of natural colors in the shades of ochre, coal, indigo, chalk etc. instills sublimity in the paintings. Gond paintings offer variety unlike other tribal art forms.

The exhibition of these works will also run concurrently at the Kalahita Art Foundation and Le Cafe D' Art. For further details, please contact 2311-3308/98486-66262.