Tribal Art:
An Iconic Offer at Lalit Kala Akademi

Subhra Mazumdar

Tribal Art displays at major galleries by and large, have been sporadic attempts to gather together a group of practitioners, with familial bonds, provide them a space and thereafter, hold a wine and cheese do, around the works. While such efforts hold merit as platforms of information about the genre, they do not give the form its due relevance as a niche form of contemporary art, complete with its own grammar, methodology and the necessary trappings of established art. But quite recently, the tables have been reversed and tribal art as a definitive category of art trends, made by traditional ractitioners, has been put on display at the Lalit Kala Akademi Galleries, in New Delhi.

Though the works had been produced by generational makers of these art forms, the works are by the leading masters from their respective tribal groups. Their makers have been privileged to view tribal artistry from around the world and have interacted with other tribal groups globally enriching their own concepts and formats, evolving techniques that are more inclusive and expressive and thereby coming up with works that bear a strong link with their roots yet contain in their compositions a freshness and individuality.