Gondwana Art Project brings Gond, Bhil and Warli artworks to Hyderabad

An artwork from the exhibition; Sundeep Bahndari | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The Gondwana Art Project was established in 2019, as an extension of the Craft and Community Development Foundation he had launched a few years earlier. The initial focus was on Gond, one of India’s largest tribal artforms, and this later expanded to include Warli and Bhil artists. “A fatigue factor had set in among tribal and folk art. There was room for innovation, while staying true to the ethos of the native art form,” says Sundeep.Design intervention happened through workshops conducted by the faculty of fashion and design institutes, including National Institute of Design and National Institute of Fashion Technology. “In the first year, six artists were mentored and we found them keen to adapt,” says Sundeep.

The eagerness to experiment and tap into new markets deepened during lockdowns when artists had to look for online options to sell their work, in the absence of offline craft exhibitions. “We began putting up the artworks online in 2021-22 through our website (gondwanaartproject.com) and social media handles (@gondwanaartproject on Instagram) and found buyers from India and Europe. This encouraged the artists. The intent is not to alter the ethos of an art form, but to look at compositions and softer colour palettes to make the artworks appeal to the interior design market,” adds Sundeep.

Nearly 35 artists who were trained as part of the project worked from their homes across Nagaland, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Sundeep informs that the workshops were conducted in areas closer to the homes of artists. “Many artists are also into farming and community activities in their villages. So the workshops were tailored so they were not alienated from their surroundings. One area of focus was to teach them to mix colours. For instance,