Ethnic Tunes – Paintings by Anuradha Thakur
At Jehangir Art Gallery, Kala Ghoda
from 21st to 27th March, 2023
Recent work of a famous contemporary artist Anuradha Thakur will be displayed in Jehangir Art Gallery No. 2, M. G. Road, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai from 21st to 27th March, 2023 between 11am to 7pm. Anuradha Thakur is known for her luminescent paintings that are an entrancing symphony of vibrant notes and color filled melodies depicting Indian Tribal culture and tradition. The silent music of the streams, the sonnets of the birds and bees, the rustle of wind through the forest, the jingling of bangles, and the pounding of the mortar and pestle, the heartbeats of ethnic life all resonate on her canvas. Her bold paintings of black lines, earthen colors, and vivid shades are a synesthetic encounter in which every sense is engaged on a journey of joy and optimism in discovering and experiencing the humble daily lives of India’s tribal’s.
‘Ethnic Tunes’ by Anuradha Thakur is a colorful microcosm of the life of the various Tribal communities across India. This series is an homage to the spirit of the tribal folk as it delves into the unforeseeable and ambiguous nature of life, and portrays how, despite previous gains or losses, we all take a leap of hope at life. Anuradha feels this speaks volumes about the human heart’s patience, perseverance, and endurance. She hints that this unwavering belief is what ushers in contentment and optimism in her creative process. She believes that rays of happiness have the ability to permeate through both the peaks and valleys we encounter in our daily lives. This experience enlivens her canvas As she has tread across India on a journey of self-awareness, experiencing Tribal life she has found these qualities both preached and practiced subtly in their everyday life. She discovered that the parched lands, scarcity of rain, and lack of certain basic needs didn’t deter the tribal people but imparted in them the strength to birth an ethically and ethnically wealthy heritage. It is this undeterred spirit that has inspired Anuradha’s work. In essence, Anuradha, with a fusion of vivid colors and bold black lines depicts the tender, subtle, simple, genuine yet rich, enduring and strong culture and tradition that tribal communities innately preserve through their regional style, thoughts, and unyielding inner resolve that helps them transcend all adversities.
Anuradha Thakur, a graduate in Fine Arts, entered her tryst with tribal people in her childhood in Maharashtra. She was fascinated by the paintings of tribal women by Amrita Sher Gil during her Diploma. The flowing lines in the figures she draws show the influence of the paintings in the Ajanta caves. She began her interaction with tribal people when she organized art workshops with the Gond tribes. She then worked with tribal/urban people in the IHMP, Pachod area near Aurangabad, and for SEARCH in the Gadchiroli area of Maharashtra. Her interaction with tribal people gave her valuable insight into their way of life and they became the subject of her work.
She has since then created several series of paintings based on tribal people she met while traveling to remote parts of Maharashtra, Gujarat , Jhabua, Rajasthan, Jammu, Himachal Pradesh & Northeast India. She was felicitated as one of the 100 women Achievers of the country by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, India, in category ‘ Art and Culture’ at a grandiose ceremony held at New Delhi on the eve of 2016 Republic Day. ’Artist of The Year ‘’ award by “We group and Punjab Lalitkala Academy”, Chandigarh – 2016 “Punjab Art Council and We group ‘’ National Award for painting, Chandigarh – 2016 CVM National award for painting, Vallabhnagar, Gujarat – 2015. All India Lokmanya Tilak art Award, Pune.
By SundeR M