EXHIBITION "Maa Matre" A solo show of Master Gond Artist Bhajju Shyam at Ojas Art, 1AQ, Qutab Minar Roundabout, Mehrauli Road > 11am to 7pm on 17th November to 11th December 2016

Artworks by Bhajju Shyam

Time : 11:00 am to 7:00 pm (Monday Closed) Add to Calendar 17/11/2016 11:00 11/12/2016 19:00 Asia/Kolkata EXHIBITION "Maa Matre" A solo show of Master Gond Artist Bhajju Shyam Event Page : http://www.delhievents.com/2016/11/exhibition-maa-matre-solo-show-of.html Ojas Art, 1AQ, Qutab Minar Roundabout, Mehrauli Road, New Delhi 110 030 DD/MM/YYYY - Exhibition on View

Entry : Free

Venue : Ojas Art, 1AQ, Qutab Minar Roundabout, Mehrauli Road, New Delhi 110 030
Venue Info : 1aq.in | Events | Nearest Metro Station - 'Saket(Yellow Line)'

Event Description : EXHIBITION : Anubhav Nath,Curatorial Director, Ojas Art presents "Maa Matre" A solo show of Master Gond Artist Bhajju Shyam.

Bhajju Shyam is a master Gond artist who has illustrated more than ten books, which have been translated into four languages. His best known book, “London Jungle Book” has alone sold more than 30,000 copies. In 2015, he received the Ojas Art Award for Master Artist in collaboration with Jaipur Literature Festival and Teamwork Arts.
The current solo show has more than forty works on display. The artworks revolve around nature, a subject closest to Bhajju’s heart. He portrays nature at its best – fruit laden trees, a host of animals and birds, deer with multiple horns, detailed single color and single color ink works in black and a special series of works in grey, something that he has attempted for the first time. 

In all his works, his captivating visuals and easy storytelling style fuse his perceptions of the modern world with his tribe’s unique visual language. Perhaps the most versatile artist of the Gond art tradition, Bhajju uses inherited forms in very current and expressive ways, while experimenting with innovative subjects and new ideas.

“I never set out to be an artist and would help her paint on the walls, as per the Gond tradition. I almost became a watchman, but little that I know that my chacha Jangarh Singh Shyamji’s influence on me would be so strong that I would become an artist. I wanted to dedicate my first solo show to my mother.  Thus, the title of the show is her name – Matre. I have made many books, and my works have been shown in museums and institutions in India and abroad, but a first solo show in India is special,” shares Bhajju Syam. 

Anubhav Nath, Curatorial Director of OJAS Art, says, “This is Bhajju’s first solo show in India, hence truly special for all of us. This solo show is a part of our commitment to the tribal and traditional arts and the next step of the Ojas Art Award, which is held annually in collaboration with the Jaipur Literature Festival.  We hope to organize more such solo shows in the future. The best works of these artists must be shown extensively in India and newer audiences must be generated.”

About Bhajju Shyam

Bhajju Shyam was born in Pattangarh, in Madhya Pradesh in Central India in 1971. Sixteen year-old Bhajju left his village and came to Bhopal in search of work. He found work as a night watchman, until his uncle Jangarh Singh Shyam, the most brilliant Gond artist of the time, and the one who brought Gond art from the walls of the village into the public eye asked him to become his apprentice. As Bhajju’s talent became apparent, Jangarh encouraged Bhajju to strike out on his own.

Bhajju’s work soon became known throughout India, and his first international exposure came in 1998 when he was part of a group exhibition at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris. Since then his work has been shown in the UK, Germany, Holland and Russia. In 2001, he received   a state award for Best Indigenous Artist.

He has ten books to his credit and his best-known work, The London Jungle Book, is a visual travelogue of his 2002 visit to London, where he went to paint the interior of an up-market Indian restaurant. The book, published by Tara Books and the Museum of London, was released in November 2004, along with a three-month exhibition at the Museum. 

Bhajju has received many awards: In 2001, he received a state award for Best Indigenous Artist (Madhya Pradesh), CRESCER Magazine 30 Best Children’s Book Award Brazil in 2011 and the Ojas Art Award in 2015. 

Cumulatively, his books have sold nearly a 100,000 copies, worldwide and have been made available in multiple languages.  

The exhibition is accompanied by a special publication.

Related Links : Exhibitions