How this ongoing exhibition in Mumbai highlights the changing face of folk art

Everything is connected to nature explains Kalyan Joshi It is at the heart of all folk art he explains Joshi should know The 55yearold artist is in town as his works will be on display at Jehangir Art Gallery as part of the ongoing exhibition Beyond Tradition Change and Continuity in Indian ArtFeaturing 10 National Awardwinning artists including Joshi Anwar Chitrakar Ladobai Shakir Ali and Gitanjali Das among others the exhibition highlights the diversity and complexity in Indian folk art It is also the only exhibition by the collective in Mumbai this year Each of the art forms are particular to the region and carry within them geographical and cultural elementsA Phad folktale of Pabuji created using natural pigment on cloth by right Kalyan JoshiJoshi points out that most folk art are narrative forms ldquoPhad for instance was like the cinema of its time The canvas would tell a story that two performers would then recreate for the audience sitting in front of them It was an accompaniment to the performancerdquo he shares While they traditionally told folk tales of legends such as Pabuji Joshi has slowly found his own voice through adding elements of mythology abstract forms and societal context to his works ldquoI have created canvases on issues such as water scarcity and pollution as well What I say might change but the medium is meant for storiesrdquo he sharesA Bhilstyle canvas titled Tree of Life animals by right Ladobai depicts natural harmonyThis is a common echo that finds voice in another awardwinning Bhil artist Ladobai Born in Jhabua Madhya Pradesh her artistic bent found new expression when she arrived in Bhopal with her husband looking for employment It was at Bharat Bhavan that she was discovered by the artist Jagdish Swaminathan Since then she has exhibited at the Museacutee du Quai Branly in Paris and Grosvenor Gallery in London among other spacesldquoMy works are in the tradition of Bhil art made through natural and earth pigments They are stories of life as we observe itrdquo she notes humbly through her son Ajay For this exhibition she worked on canvas with new pigments such as charcoal and cow dungmud to keep with the focus on nature They might be carrying on a tradition but innovation is a necessary part of the game Anwar Chitrakar began learning the art of Kalighat painting from his father in Midnapore ldquoArt is meant to evolveElephant Jungle by Gitanjali Das tussar on silkEven the Kalighat artists were initially sculptors and clay artists from the 24 Parganas district in West Bengal who started painting when they moved to Kalighatrdquo he explains A prominent name in Indian Mughal miniatures S Shakir Ali adds ldquoFolk artists can sometimes be lost in a singular style For instance with Mughal miniatures there is only so much innovation you can bring to court scenes stylisticallyrdquo In a canvas titled Mythological Horse the Padma Shriawardee infuses mythology and nature to the style of Mughal miniatures ldquoMy works are built around the black buck blue cows and vultures The use of mythology adds creativity and expression to the stylerdquo he notesThis is a synthesis of the ongoing change in Indian folk art Anwar explains ldquoAs we folk artists grow and travel beyond the villages we are discovering new visuals This enables our works to move beyond the museum spacerdquo It is also a responsibility states Joshi ldquoI have used traditional abstract and modern forms Some mythologies I use like the Hanuman Chalisa are traditional but my children create works that feature on tote bags and notebooksrdquo he saysMythological Horse by right Shakir Ali blends Mughal miniatures with natureIn the end that is the purpose of folk art ldquoThe Kalighat paintings show life as it was in the era of the British Our paintings and work must tell the story of our world in their own unique way of expressing That is the only way for the tradition to carry onrdquo concludes Anwar After all stories must go onFrom June 12 till June 17Time 11 am to 7 pmAt Jehangir Art Gallery MG Road Kala Ghoda Fort