A unique art exhibition in the city will showcase the indigenous craft of rural India along with immersive workshops and live performances
Ranjita Dhal weaves a sabai grass basket (right) exhibits from a grass weaving workshop
Mahatma Gandhi had famously said, “The soul of India lies in its villages”, years down the line the adage will prove itself true again as 48 artists and rural craft entrepreneurs from all over the country arrive in the city for Tarasha Craft Exhibit, a four-day long exhibition celebrating the talent of rural craftsmanship. Conceptualised by Project Tarasha in collaboration with Ekibeki, an NGO dedicated to reviving indigenous arts and crafts of India, Creative Dignity, a pan-India collaborative network aiding artisans in the Indian handmade sector, the event will feature craft products by rural artist along with a host of workshops, live performances and interactive talks.
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An installation of glass blown balloons will be on display at the exhibition supported by a leading watch company. Pic courtesy/Project Tarasha Team
“We wanted to create a sustainable demand for crafts in cities that also favours our artisans. Usually rural artists move to bigger cities in pursuit of jobs but tend to end up in the labour sector as the earning is not enough. This severely impacts the craft as well as the artist,” Vishpala Naik Hundekari, the co-founder of Ekibeki explains, adding that the exhibition will also show design installations crafted by rural artisans in collaboration with designers that lend a contemporary touch to pieces while retaining the cultural essence of the craft. “From blown glass balloons, to Chanderi silk Gond art curtains and papier-mâché figurines, all these imaginative pieces seek to bring a modern intervention to traditional crafts to suit the needs of audiences in metropolitan cities,” she adds.
Banjara jewellery
With pieces like Gond and Bhil paintings from Madhya Pradesh, sohrai paintings and filigree jewellery from Jharkhand, dhokra and Sabai grass weaving from Odisha, and much more, the event will host 21 traditional craft workshops that will provide an immersive dive into the rich history of the art forms, all narrated and guided by its generations-old practitioners. “Most of the paintings that we do on canvases, textiles and paper are centred on our daily life in the villages. The motifs usually reflect our community’s relationship with nature and all the folk stories we have grown up listening to,” Sukhiram Maravi, a Gond artist from Madhya Pradesh tells us while giving a sneak peek of his artworks.
Copper coated bells
With its inception in 2022, Project Tarasha has been empowering artists from different pockets of the country in capacity building workshops and training to position their talent in the right marketplace. “The exhibition will provide an opportunity for craft entrepreneurs to connect with markets and foster long-term linkages for growth and sustainability. It is a direct outcome of the months of intense efforts that encapsulates the heart and soul of India’s diverse art and craft,” Sridhar NE, chief sustainability officer and member of the project summarises.
Sukhiram Maravi works on a Gond painting
From February 22 to 25; 11 am to 7 pm
At Museum lawns, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kala Ghoda, Fort.
Log on to: allevents.in (for workshop registration)
Entry (Museum ticket entry prices apply)
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