The story of Indian art does not begin and end with the masters. Besides the Husains, the Razas and the Souzas, its arc was shaped by a constellation of self-taught artists and art school graduates who chiselled away at conventions far outside the elusive orbit of galleries. Late printmaker Haren Das, for instance, not only offered a rare peek into rural, undivided Bengal through his wood engravings but also laid the foundation for graphic art education at a time when oil paintings ruled the Indian art market. To seek out the many future Haren Das’ who are now toiling passionately in the hinterland, art historian Alka Pande recently combed the length and breadth of the country. The ‘Hidden Gems’ that emerged from her search will soon bathe in tungsten spotlight at the upcoming edition of the TOI’s Art of India (AOI) festival which opens in Delhi’s Visual Arts Gallery (Jan 12-19) and at NCPA, Mumbai (Feb 16-23).
Unlike commerce-driven art fairs, the AOI exhibition — an annual showcase of India’s artistically diverse heritage — aims to tell rather than sell. “The Art of India is more about informing the general public about the history of Indian art and cultural signifiers of Indian artistic practice,” says Pande, curator of the festival that will present the country’s rich diversity through a gamut of artworks spanning Niranjan’s beautiful kalamkari paintings to Jogen Chowdhury’s evocative charcoals on paper. The bouquet of themes include social realism, nationalism, literature and philosophy.
Divided into four broad themes — the Masters, Hidden Gems, Folk and Tribal Art, and Inclusivity — the exhibition will also see canvases of celebrated masters such as Jamini Roy and Akbar Padamsee, and emerging artists. “The artists who are working outside of the gallery circuit are talking about the changing face of India,” says Pande, hinting at works such as the faceless idols and people in the monochrome drawings and paintings of fashion-design graduate Nandan Purkayastha, and the vibrant women animating Thota Vaikuntam’s canvases. “These artists are important culture bearers and carry within themselves vast knowledge systems and Indic traditions through their artworks,” adds Pande.
Apart from the vast imprint of India’s folk and tribal art, there are tech-powered works from the LGBTQIA+ community as part of the thriving ecosystem of queer art, apart from pieces addressing issues such as climate change and neurodiversity.