Kunj Prajapati’s Clay Figurines Earnestly Depict Baiga Way of Life
Clay sculpture has always been integral to the art and culture of Madhya Pradesh. A combination of moulding and decoration is done to create varied clay items, including decorative ones. The art is often practiced by members of different tribal communities, including the Baigas. Kunj Prajapati is an exception though. While Kunj does not belong to Baiga tribe, he was so fascinated by their life and living that he chose to make them the theme of his artworks. A graduate in Science, who’s also preparing for state civil services, Prajapati grew up seeing his father hand make idols of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Durga. Today, he moulds clay figurines portraying the everyday lives of the mysterious tribe that is regarded “the wildest of the tribes, living in the most inaccessible forests.” As a first-time participant in the collective, Kunj was both excited and pleased to be part of such a vibrant platform.
Vijay Soni Transforms Paper into Intricately Detailed Art with his Superb Hand-Cutting Skills
A fifth generation Sanjhi artist in his family, Vijay Sonihas inherited the legacy of creating extraordinary art from ordinary handmade paper. Sanjhi is a unique craft of creating intricate motifs and designs by cut into paper. This art form originated in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, the legendary home of Lord Krishna. Vijay, who has been associated with A Hundred Hands right since its inception, has his works installed not just across India but all over the world.
Traditionally, stories of Lord Krishna were the major themes in these paper creations. The process of paper cutting requires tremendous dexterity, sharp focus and relentless patience. A special pair of scissors is used to achieve the fine detailing in the art. Even as Vijay narrated all this to us, his hands worked on with scissors on a tiny piece of paper to create a floral motif in a matter of seconds.
email: sanjhivsoni@gmail.com
vijay.soni@mathurasanjhiart.com
www.mathurasanjhiart.com
Kailash Kumar Pradhan’s Detailed and Colorful Expressions of Gond Storytelling
Kailash Kumar Pradhan, a Gond painting artist, felt truly elated as he narrated to us his experience of having participated in Art Salute, an event wherein artists depicted the stories of the army through their tribal artwork. It was a Times of India initiative in association with the Army Wives Welfare Association. Kailash is a Gond tribal artist who presented his vibrant colour on the walls of the Surya Sainik Suvidha Parisar in Lucknow Cantt. Kailash began painting in 2007-2010, when he first got the opportunity to help his uncle, a Gond artist. Kailash portrays traditional culture and day-to-day life of the community in his paintings. He paints a range of items including, wooden jewelry boxes, coasters, dupattas and pen holders made of bamboo.
Originally known as Bhitti Chitra, the Gond painting is practiced by the largest tribe of India ie the Gonds. Madhya Pradesh, the heart of India, is the home of this tribe that lives close to nature even to this day. Hunting and agriculture continues to be their major means of livelihood. The Gonds believe that a pleasant and colourful image brings good fortune to home and that’s how the practice of decorating the walls of home with these paintings began.
Debabrata Ruidas Upcycles Metal into Striking Creations
Can you imagine something as ordinary as a bicycle tube nozzle to be a precious possession for a sculptor? Well, that’s what it is for Debabrata Ruidas. He has worked with numerous such nozzles and transformed them into eye-catching sculptures of tortoises, owls and jewelry sets! A Bachelor of Design from Visva Bharati in Shantiniketan, Debabrata truly has an eye to look beyond the obvious with his ingenious imagination.
As reuse and recycling become the keywords in any conversation on global warming and its impact, sustainable art such as Debabrata’s upcycling of metal attains a great significance in today’s times.
Nayantara and Uttara’s Enigmatic World of Handmade Trinkets Combining Clay and Embroidery
Two years of pandemic changed many of our lives in ways it never did before. And for Nayantara Nanda and Uttara Nanda, it certainly did for better as far as their labor of love Kai Studio. During the extraordinary times of lockdown, the two sisters would dabble with threads to embroider varied patterns and would mould clay into different shapes. A few days later, they decided to do something that was fairly unheard before at least in the fashion of clay jewelry. Embroidering the hand cut clay! So basically they combined the skills of hand cutting, embroidering and ornamenting it with hand painting. That’s how their world of Kai Studio was born. There was no looking back for the sisters thereafter. From chic earrings and necklaces to boho broaches, and clips, they moulded, painted and embroidered their imagination into cute little surreal creations.
At the recently-held A Hundred Hands, the Kai Studio showcased their handcrafted trinkets that were sprinkled all over the stall. This year was their second time at the collective.
Website: https://www.kaistudio.co.in/
