Harrington Street to showcase Gond and Bhil artists' works

KOLKATA: Kolkata's leading gallery, Harrington Street Art Centre, is bringing to the city an exhibition that showcases the best of Gond and Bhil artists' works. This sect of artists is based in Madhya Pradesh.

In their work, richly patterned with Adivasi motifs and forms, tales of forests come alive, vibrant and pulsating. Manifest in this ageless and ethnic art form are motifs like trees, birds and animals in resplendent shades of yellow, green and red. This is a magical world where snakes and the chameleon live in harmony alongside the villagers, while benign deities keep vigil as protective forces.

Drawing from the depth of centuries of cumulative Adivasi memory, the painters are inspired as much by their past life as by their present state of existence. Therefore, in Bhuri Bai's beautiful painting, the narrative shows not just village life, but also images of an aircraft flying overhead, reflecting her present life and environ. This genre of art is gradually reaching distant parts of the world.

Artist Durga Bai's art, too, represents the transformation that has come about in their lives in modern times. In step, another artist, Venkat's is the most modern voice and in his work we see the second generation Gond artist who is navigating his own space amongst contemporary artists.

Rajendra is another painter who uses his imaginative powers to create a strange, beautiful world of lore and song. Subhash's black and white paintings, finally, are compositions that draw blood from motifs and myths. However, instead of bright colours, his oeuvre is in sharply defined lines and swirling black and white patterns.

Gond and Bhil art is slowly coming of age and may soon become part of mainstream art.