Unveiling India’s exotic traditions

Several leading world-famous museums and galleries have recently been focusing on rich Indian art traditions. Presenting ‘the other unknown side of amazing artistic productions from India’, the event culminated with the monographs of two contemporary tribal artists, elevated to the highest rungs of the world art market, namely Jivya Soma Mashe and Jangarh Singh Shyam, whose works chose to widen the field of their expression in order to portray their cultural milieu. France also witnessed an unprecedented presentation of the royal creations from the 'Deepak & Daksha Hutheesing Collection'.

Held jointly by Pierre Berge - Yves Saint Laurent Foundation and Hutheesing Heritage Foundation, ‘Last Maharajas (1911-1947)’ featured the costumes of the Grand Durbar from 1911 to 1914, a time when textiles were the soul of royalty. This was the first time this timeless collection, providing a social and historical context to art history and the aesthetics of textiles and its intangible romance, was unveiled on the global stage. Jerome Neutres stated in a curatorial note:

“For the last kings of India, who had given up their throne for independence, splendor and appearance mattered. Deprived of force, the favored means of expression of these warrior princes, the last Maharajas cultivated luxury and competed based on the grandeur of their image. Clothing was at the heart of the social bond during this courtly period from the Delhi Durbar of 1911.”

While discussing the trend of greater global exposure to Indian art and culture traditions, one name that must be mentioned is the world-renowned Peabody Essex Museum. The institution based in Massachusetts regularly features Indian art - from the 1800s to the present - including the delicate embroideries, fine portraits and devotional images.

A series of exhibitions, performances, films and hands-on demonstrations are regularly held at PEM that look to unveil India’s exotic traditions. For example, its latest show ‘Of Gods and Mortals, Traditional Art from India’ brings to the fore how myriad forms like paintings, sculpture, textiles etc are part of the fabric of daily life in the country and how they are used in religious practices and to express prestige and social position.