How CCDF is helping tribal artists and local artisans tap urban markets

The refined, rarefied setting of a five-star hotel lobby is brightened by a burst of folk colour during the India Art Fair, which concluded recently in Delhi. In sharp contrast to the elegance within and the chaotic traffic without, the paintings are windows to a calmer world where myths blend with reality, and humanity and nature coexist more peacefully. As visitors throng the Gondwana Art Project, a showcase of Gond, Warli and Bhil art from Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, organisers Craft and Community Development Foundation (CCDF) have reason to be pleased with the response. “Our intention was to not only showcase tribal talent during the Indian Art Fair 2020, we also wanted to involve more people in our initiative,” says founder Sundeep Bhandari.
 
The Gondwana Art Project is the result of a six-month residency in which five selected artists worked with a Delhi-based designer to upgrade their skills and create works that would appeal to urban markets. “Over the years, we’d noticed that while folk art was such an evocative form of expression, it often didn’t make its way to upper-class urban homes,” says Bhandari. “We selected five artists from a long list provided by Tribes India and gave them a one-time stipend of Rs 50,000 to work with us for six months.”
 
During this period, the artists were guided by CCDF mentors who introduced them to new methods and techniques that express both traditional and contemporary imagery and values. For example, Warli artist Rajesh Mor was encouraged to use the earthier cowdung as a base for his stunningly detailed paintings, instead of the red geru, terracotta used traditionally. This has added depth and distinction to his finished works. “We also introduced artists to Australian aboriginal art, which we’d noticed was rather similar in form,” says Bhandari. “Our Gond artist Anita Shyam became so inspired that she painted a vivid work depicting a jellyfish in her unique style!”
 

“Basically, the residency offered the artists a chance to explore their creativity,” says Bhandari. “Otherwise, impoverished folk artists are too driven by commercial considerations to focus on it.”
 
The Gondwana Art exhibition managed to gain support from 20 donors and a couple of institutions. “This is going to help us create a corpus of funds for our next art residency,” says Bhandari. As of now, Bhandari, an ex-petroleum industry honcho who was credited with bringing Scottish oil major Cairn to India, has funded the entire project. “The six-month residency programme has cost us about Rs 12 lakh,” he says. “However, we’ve received some much-needed support and donations through the exhibition in Delhi.”
 
Not only did CCDF gain new donors (each was gifted a painting from the collection as a token of thanks), it also succeeded in creating some crucial institutional linkages. “For example, the Jawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur has invited us to put together a similar exhibition towards the end of April,” he says. “We’ve signed on three more artists in addition to the five existing ones and are hoping to exhibit at least 30 new artworks there.”
 
Established in 2008, CCDF supports artists and artisans by providing them with market linkages and design inputs while keeping intact their authenticity. “Before this, we’ve worked with chikankari artisans in Lucknow,” says Bhandari. He and his cohorts had noticed that while the embroidery was beautiful, the tailoring often left much to be desired. Their inputs on tailoring helped create a range of silhouettes that was so contemporary that the online store Jaypore bought the entire collection. “Now the artisans are working directly with them,” says Bhandari.
 
Creating connections with individual buyers and institutional patrons is critical to the CCDF model. “Upskilling our folk artists and creating windows for them to access untapped markets is only the first step,” Bhandari says. “And in turn, the world gets to glimpse the beauty of our folk art traditions.”
 
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