EXHIBITION : MATI presents "Kantha : The Rural Art of Bengal" group show of folk art depicted on textiles > 5th to 28th September 2018

Venue : Art Konsult, 3, Ground Floor, Hauz Khas Village

Time : 
5th September : 6:30 pm Add to Calendar 05/09/2018 18:30 28/09/2018 20:00 Asia/Kolkata Opening of MATI's "Kantha : The Rural Art of Bengal" group show of folk art depicted on textiles Event Page : https://www.delhievents.com/2018/09/exhibition-mati-kantha-rural-art-bengal-folk-textiles-art-konsult-hauz-khas-village.html Art Konsult, 3, Ground Floor, Hauz Khas Village, New- Delhi- 110016 DD/MM/YYYY - Inauguration by Smt. Jasleen Dhamija
6th to 28th September : 11:00 am - 7:00 pm Add to Calendar 06/09/2018 11:00 28/09/2018 19:00 Asia/Kolkata EXHIBITION : MATI presents "Kantha : The Rural Art of Bengal" group show of folk art depicted on textiles Event Page : https://www.delhievents.com/2018/09/exhibition-mati-kantha-rural-art-bengal-folk-textiles-art-konsult-hauz-khas-village.html Art Konsult, 3, Ground Floor, Hauz Khas Village, New- Delhi- 110016 DD/MM/YYYY - Exhibition on View

Entry : Free

Venue : Art Konsult, 3, Ground Floor, Hauz Khas Village, New- Delhi- 110016
Venue Info : artkonsult.in | Nearest Metro Station - 'Green Park(Yellow Line) - Exit Gate 4'
Area : Hauz Khas

Event Description : EXHIBITION : MATI presents "Kantha : The Rural Art of Bengal" group show of folk art depicted on textiles.

Kantha is a unique, naïve and utilitarian form of folk art depicted on textiles. Originally a rural art of Bengal, executed in the early days by the economically deprived families who could not afford quilts. However, this generic statement may not hold entirely true. In practice, Kanthas were also made by mothers and grandmothers as a customary gift to express their love for the newly born.
These handmade quilts and bedspreads were decorated with motifs based on    contemporary stories of those times, local surroundings, flowers and sacred themes.    Layers of about seven to eight old saris or dhotis were placed one on top of the other,    after which designs were crafted on them, either in freehand or using pencils. Such was the process of making Kanthas. The entire procedure usually took about a year or two to complete. Only old cotton saris and dhotis were used to make these handmade quilts because of the humid conditions in Bengal, which worked economical.
Pre 1940’s, in the undivided Bengal, many different motifs and designs appeared on the Kanthas, with religion also playing an important role. Kanthas made by the Hindu    women depicted Hindu themes of fairies, religious motifs particularly that of the Krishna Leela, lotus flowers and other floral motifs.  One saw depiction of 1857’s Sepoy Mutiny - with British and Indian soldiers holding guns, bows and arrows.
Thus, Kanthas of Western Bengal mainly featured Hindu motifs, while the ones from    the Eastern Bengal now called Bangladesh had Muslim motifs. The latter did not contain figurative works, and instead featured floral motifs, design oriented motifs and certain symbolic designs which perhaps related to Tantra.
Kanthas were primarily made for children by the women in the family, however    subsequently they were also used by older people as quilts and covers.    Many Kanthas are signed by their creators.
In Bihar, Kanthas, are called Sujani, and had lotus motifs as their focal subject. In the    Tribal areas, Kanthas were made - devoid of much decorative motifs. In the tribal    district of Orissa though, quilts similar to Kantha were used by the Saura, Khond tribes    and other tribes too but their quilts did employ decorative facets. Colours were used as symbols, for example, red was used to depict violence; green for vegetation, nature, forests, etc.
    Exclusive collections of Kanthas are available in museums in India and some foremost    museums around the world. Such as Calico Museum and Tapi Museum in Ahmedabad, Indian Museum, State Museum and Gurusaday Museum in Kolkata, Gurusaday Museum features some of the best specimens of Kanthas from undivided Bengal and the Crafts museum in New Delhi. Along with some select private collectors like the Baharani Collection in New Delhi. And Late Subho Tagore who also had a large collection of Kanthas.
A few people who are known to have immense knowledge on Kanthas are Gurusaday    Dutt, Pupul Jayakar, Martand Singh, Jasleen Dhamija, Rajeev Sethi, Professor    Jyotindra Jain and Darshan Shah. Presently the contemporary Kantha is applied to a wider range of garments and other products.

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