An ambitious contemporary tribal art exhibition

Renowned art collector Lekha Poddar noticed a young and talented tribal artist from Madhya Pradesh around 10 years ago. She came across Ramesh Tekam at the Handicrafts & Handlooms Museum in Delhi. Mesmerized by his peculiar animals and tree of life works done on paper, the astute art lover got him canvas and oil paints, for enlarging one of those strange animal forms.

He created five works in a couple of weeks’ time. The contemporary chic of his first canvas cow shifted the focus for Lekha, as she realized the work was as ‘contemporary’ as those already there in her collection. She also bought papier mâché masks at a recent show of folk & tribal masks in Delhi. Among the god, goddess and tiger masks, there’s a captivating character from Vodafone’s Zoozoo. It’s this blend of this innocence with the contemporary touch to it that draws her to tribal art.

In fact, there has been a ‘tribal invasion’ of sorts in the arty abode of Lekha and her son Anupam Poddar. Their Delhi residence wall has two big vertical panels from Purulia (West Bengal) that tell the tale of Manasa Devi and Shiva. Then woven fibre chairs from Chhattisgarh and paintings by Jangarh Singh Shyam dot the dining area. Many of these were acquired over two decades ago well before the Gond artist turned the poster boy of the Indian tribal art.

Earlier this year, the two loaned some art works for a show at the Musée du Quai Branly, Paris. Entitled ‘Other Masters of India: Contemporary Creations of the Adivasis’, it was curated by noted museologist and art historian Jyotindra Jain. The Poddars have now unveiled an ambitious contemporary tribal art exhibition, probably the largest ever in India at their non-profit institution. It comprises works from Lekha Poddar’s personal collection apart from works that the foundation acquired and commissioned for the new show.

‘Vernacular, In the Contemporary’ is split in two parts and will have an extensive six-month run.