Artists thrive through creative collaboration in Odisha! Check out our report on the Barbil Art Project

An inside report by Georgina Maddox of the Barbil Art Project Rûpa-loka: Incarnation of Ideas in Odisha, conceptualized by Jagannath Panda and organized by the Utsha and Arya Foundation

Art can be an amazing uniting force in the world. In the context of India, the demarcation between art and craft is really a post-colonial phenomenon that has usurped the creative harmony that pre-existed between India’s pluralistic and multivariate aspects of creativity, although admittedly there were hierarchies within the atelier, the divide was established with the ushering of Western art pedagogy that chose to divide the artisans and artists creating hierarchies decisively cleaved into the unified approach of the ateliers that existed before. It has been argued that in all Indian art there is a unity that underlies all its bewildering variety. This unifying principle is Idealism. It overreaches the divides of art and crafts, of the traditional, the modern and the contemporary.

The attempt to create a dialogue between the traditional ideology of the arts and crafts with that of modern and contemporary thought ensures that some of the missing links are forged once more. The importance of preserving the arts of the Odisha craftsperson/artisan cannot be emphasized enough, given that their traditional methods are passed on orally and manually from one generation to another, and many of their practices are dying. Their ability to work independently is challenged by a lack of funds and the force of a Capitalist economy that often makes them turn to other professions for monetary reasons.

The Barbil Art Project (BAP) is a bi-annual collaborative art event conceptualized by Jagannath Panda, organised by Utsha Foundation and Arya Group and curated by myself, independent critic-curator Georgina Maddox, with an aim of introducing various art practices to the viewers and layperson and creating ongoing dialogues between artists and indigenous artisans. Having established the historical narrative, one can understand that in contemporary times one must encourage the unifying of local art, craft and culture, that is not just a ‘transcript’ from nature. Through the works of the artists the BAP project proposes to raise certain questions about what is real and what is \’natural\’ through the lens of the artisan who fearlessly employs stylisation, iconography and several other painterly and artistic elements that are the opposite direction of the \’realist\’ attempt to represent subject matter truthfully, without artificiality and avoiding speculative fiction and supernatural elements.

Anindita Bhattacharya’s artistic approach and vocabulary encourage the viewers to travel through thousands of years of art history across various cultures and traditions using a contemporary reference to the miniatures, from India and Persia. Bijay Parida is an established Pattachitra Artist from Puri working for the last 50 years. Together they bring a contemporary interpretation to the Vishnu Purana of the nine avatars of Lord Vishnu that brought realization to the Pandavas, by taking the form of nine animals and birds to show them they are not aware of everything. Anindita also added a few extinct species to the avatars to comment on the current scenario where mankind has been irresponsible towards wildlife that has led to their extinction.
For Bijay Parida the experience is of keeping the tradition alive. He works with a detailed stylization that has been passed on for generations. He shares that he even has a palm leaf over a-100-years old and he is unsure what composition to make on it since the narrative should respect the format of the old school that had space for the Odia text.

Ankon Mitra is a trained architect and practices as a landscape designer and a sculptor/installation artist. Prashanta Behera and Diptirani Behera are renowned Golden Grass Artisans from Jajpur. They both belong to a traditional craftsman family and have been practicing golden-grass craft for many years. By collaborating, they bring a new interpretation and form to their respective styles of working. The unique coming together of paper origami style of working with golden grass not only lends new aesthetic enjoyment to the form but brings new abstract narratives to the architectural sculpture that they create.

Bibhu Nath and Purusottam Mohapatra collaborated to create a sculptural work in Paper Mâché that looks at local natural elements and life around Odisha and Barbil through a metaphorical narrative. Nath has always looked at the natural elements through a socio-political lens and he encourages Mohapatra to evaluate the changes brought about by nature, mankind, and the intervention of technology employed by them. Mohapatra works mainly with animal figures and mythological narratives as well as the iconography of holy deities.

The collaboration between emergent Odisha-based artist Kulu Ojha and established artisan Chandrasena Majhi looks at creating a circular metaphor with paddy. Since Majhi is a Paddy Craft Artisan from Nawarangpur and he belongs to a traditional craftsman family, he has been doing this from his childhood days. Ojha decided to plug into his contemporary expertise and bring an abstract feel to the work. They bring new interpretations to traditional divine sculptural forms and present them with a flying peacock that brings together the various elements on an untied platform.

Satadru is an international performance artist, painter and multimedia artist, while Pradyumna Mohanta is a young Chhau Dancer from Baripada, Mayurbhanj. Together they have performed at the Konark Temple, expressing multiple interpretations of architecture, linked gender, fantasy and devotion in a very invigorating format using both performance and Chhau in a unique interpretation of their bodies and spirits. They bring a completely new reading to the traditional format of dance and create many alternatives for masculinity and gender, bringing to it a rich and culturally diverse reading. They also did a performance at the auditorium in Barbil where they presented two different aspects of the masculine identity. One that was playful and experimental as presented by Satadru while the other that was martial and traditional by Mohanta.

Established Delhi-based artist Shivani Aggarwal and talented artisan Ranjita Dhal and Jadunath have collaborated using the medium of Sabai Grass. The artists have brought a contemporary interpretation to the traditional Sabai grass craft that Ranjita has been practicing for last 15-years at her hometown in Mayurbhanj. For Shivani it is a comment also on the degradation of the environmental conditions through the forced burning of forests and shrubland. The tapering soft-sculpture evokes several readings, including a comment on the environment along with the bold colour of red to give it an astonishing and attractive quality that will encourage a different interpretation.

Subrat is an established Printmaker-Painter from MSU Baroda, who is now making a foray into sculpture and Dokra casting while Basanta and Basanti Behera who are well-known Dhokra Artisans from Sadeibarini, Dhenkanal practicing the traditional Dokra casting for many years now. They have collaborated to create engaging folk stories, using contemporary sculpture and Dokra style to create a scenario where birds and animals are depicted as more sensitive than mankind who is the real ‘animal’ who cares only for himself. They place the human protagonist among dry tree branches showing animals forced to migrate because humans behave irresponsibly in the way they treat their planet. Whereas animals are better adapted and should be left free. Lord Vishnu assumed the Matsya and Garuda avatars to show us how to live in harmony with our environment. The works are of course open to interpretation.

The Utsha and Arya Foundation hopes that this collaboration will lead to many more and a heightened synergy in the artistic spheres will be perpetuated through the format of collaborative workshops and exhibitions. We indeed look forward.

Image Credit: Ashish Dhir