Growing up in the city of Bhopal, Japani Shyam’s first brush with nature came through the vibrant forest scenes painted by her parents, Nankusiya and Jangarh Singh Shyam, a pioneer of Gond art. Japani’s style is characterised by her fascination with pigments; she is on a quest to rediscover the lost natural colours once derived… Read more »
From the yellow clay of his village to the rOtring pen discovered during a trip abroad, Jangarh approached each medium with curiosity and courage
The Untitled Gond-Pardhan painting is an ink-on-paper work by artist Jangarh Singh Shyam (1962-2001). Gond is a celebrated, shared art tradition practised by the Gond-Pradhan community in India. It was first ‘discovered’ by Jagdish Swaminathan, searching for original artworks from Indian tribes in the 1970s. The search ended with him meeting the talented artist Jangarh Singh Shyam,… Read more »
The Untitled Gond-Pardhan painting is an acrylic on canvas work, made by artist Rajendra Kumar Shyam. The artist paints a streak of tigers, seemingly running around in a loop. Two tigers appear to be adults, while the others look like cubs- one could presume that the artist has painted a family. Tigers are a common… Read more »
Taking forward her father’s shining legacy, Japani Shyam has developed her own voice, distinctive styles, point of view and stories to tell in the medium of Gond art
Three major Indian art forms—Warli, Mithila and Gond—are being showcased at the travelling exhibition ‘Many Visions, Many Versions’, which has covered various locations across America in 2018-19. The show is curated by Aurogeeta Das and David Szanton and is currently at the Weisman Art Museum in Minnesota till 6 January, 2019. It includes the works… Read more »
The Gond community is regarded as one of the oldest and largest surviving adivasi communities of India. The term Gond is derived from the word ‘Kond’ meaning ‘green mountains’; a majority of the people live in the lush forested regions of Madhya Pradesh, but there are also some Gonds to be found in pockets of… Read more »
Jangarh exemplified the natural theme of Gondi painting. The silent message is clear—everything is interconnected
INTO THE JUNGLE The Dravidian term Gond comes from Kond, which means green mountains. The community is naturally focused on the preservation of nature. Without green mountains, wildlife habitats and water tables die out. And without the bees and the birds, plant cycles are affected. The Gonds understood it. READ MORE COLOUR SWATCHES FROM A… Read more »