*Gallery Gitanjali invites you to "Katha" - An exhibition of works by five Gond Tribal artists; Japani Shyam(daughter of Jangarh Singh Shyam ), Durga Bai , Subhash Vyam, Manoj Tekam , Rajendra Shyam, Santosh Maravi and Dileep Shyam; opening on 14th March,2014 at 6:30 pm . The exhibition will remain open till 31 March, 2014.*
The Gonds are said to be the original inhabitants of India with relics of its past having been found as far back as 50,000 years. This community is the largest tribal community with an estimated population of 7.4 million today. Gond art is based on the belief that *viewing a good image begets good luck*.They would thus decorate their houses and the floors with traditional tattoos and motifs, drawn during festivals or rituals connected with seasonal changes like sowing of crops, onset of rains, harvest or on a significant occasion in their families such as birth, marriage, pregnancy, death. Traditionally, the process of painting begins with preparing the surface. Mud surfaces are cleaned and smoothened with a soil called pidor. Artists use natural colours which are extracted from coloured soil, charcoal, plant sap, rice paste, cow dung and leaves. Colours are also used to convey emotions and character of pictures.These served ritualistic purposes as well as kept the surroundings harmonious and pure. A narrative form of folk art, the Gonds express the vernacular of the soul in the brilliant hues and the myriad interpretations of the artists' defining signature patterns creating a richness of aesthetic forms and styles. These signature styles are the essence of this tribal art form and are used to fill the surface of their decorative motifs. Gond art resonates with a culturally distinctive ethos and draws inspiration from myths and legends to images of daily life, the surrealism of emotions, dreams and imagination. The mythical beasts and the intricate detailing of flora and fauna are the dominant themes that have animated the works of the Gonds as a means to record history. The Gond painting transports you to the seamless world of the imaginative and the surprising. They have a singular two dimensional style. The multi-hued, dot-bright splendours of tribal gods, fantastical birds, anthill-covered alligators, and long-snouted crabs are both creative and imaginative. The community derives positive energy by surrounding itself with colour and art inspired from nature and everyday living. The child like simplicity of these art works reflects the community's own straightforwardness. The fine lines, dots and dashes of traditional Gond Pradhan motifs were introduced to the world by the late painter J.Swaminathan , who discovered a talented seventeen year old Jangarh Singh Shyam decorating the huts of Patangarh in Madhya Pradesh.Jangarh's meteoric rise to fame was marked by his acclaimed exhibitions in Paris and Tokyo and ended on a tragic note with his suicide.The legacy of Jangarh came to be known as "Jangarh Kalam" and is evident in the artistic brilliance and creativity of his family who he had mentored in this traditional art form.The exquisite beauty and raw power of these works have created a stir in both International and National auctions including Sotheby's and Saffron Art. Not surprisingly Gondi art with its vibrant and compelling patterns has captivated the international art market. This exposure has transformed the lives of these tribal artists, encouraging them to transcend cultural barriers and paint the language of the universe in their own special way. This year's exhibition entitled "Katha", has some of the most renowned artists of the Gond Art Community . *Japani Shyam* , the daughter of the legendary artist and pioneer Jangarh Shyam, captures the eco systems in which animals survive. Her works are denser, they are reproductions of the worlds that animals and plants survive in. She is known to works with Monochromes, black and white being her favourite. The most striking feature of *Durga Bai's* paintings is each painting has a story -- the stories that Durga Bai heard as a child are now translated into images in brilliant flamboyant colours. Her forms are mostly drawn from the pantheon of the Gond Pardhan community. She uses the motif of paddy seeds to infill the forms in her paintings. In 2004, Durga Bai was honoured by the Handicraft Development Council. In 2008 she and two other Gond artists, Ram Singh Urveti and Bhajju Shyam, were presented the Bologna Ragazzi Award in Italy for their illustrations in the children's book, The Night Life of Trees, published by Tara Publishing. Durga Bai was also awarded the IGNCA Scholarship for 2006-2007. *Subhash Vyam* is a master sculptor. His wooden sculptures are three dimensional stories. He completely changed over to painting when he was awarded the Rajya Hastha Shilpa Puraskar for one of his ink drawings by the Government of Madhya Pradesh in 2002. He uses ink on canvass and paper, his favourite themes are of aquatic life, which he saw while growing up in the village of Sonpuri, near Patangarh. Inspired by his wife Durga Bai, who has a vast reservoir of folk tales, Subhash has also started painting characters and scenes from these stories. He uses the motif of seeds spread on peacock feathers. *Manoj Tekam* likes to detail all his paintings. He has worked under the watchful eye of Bajju Shyam. Manoj prefers to live in his village. After working with Bajju for a few years he moved back to rural life, he uses mustard seeds as his signature pattern. *Rajendra Syam* exhibited his work at Nottingham's New Art Exchange Gallery, London in 2009.Raju in collaboration with Venkant Shyam also painted a 70kg fiberglass elephant, Udata Hathi as a part of the Elephant Parade Mela. His depictions of tales of deity Bada Dev have been exhibited at Horniman Art Gallery London in June 2011. *Santosh Maravi* is an upcoming artist, who has apprenticed under Maynak Jangarh Shyam. Born on 1st August 1983, Santosh has a passion and drive to create abstract imagery far different from the typical Gond tribal art.His imagination showcases his talent.He uses the pattern of glass of the oil lantern as his signature motif.He has participated in a few workshops organized by the Government of Madhya Pradesh. *Dileep Syam* was honoured with the Jangarh Singh Shyam Award in 2008; Jangarh Shyam is his paternal uncle & his inspiration. Thanks & Regards Aisha Khalifa Gallery Gitanjali E-212,31st January Road, Fontainhas,Panjim, Goa-403001 India www.gallerygitanjali.com 00918806035195
