Slices of life on the walls-R.Krithika,The Hindu

Colour was the first impression when I walked into the art gallery of the Kasthuri Sreenivasan Cultural Centre last week. The centre is playing host to Aadi-Chitra, an exhibition of tribal art and artefacts, conducted by the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED).

The Gond art adds a splash of colour to the walls

The first room sports a multitude of Gond paintings that make a colourful splash with their stylised depictions of Nature. On the opposite side are hung elegant bags made of banana fibre. On a table near the billing counter lie a variety of wallets, mobile pouches and smaller bags made of cloth.

Bags made of banana fibre and thorans made of string and beads

Spices and wild honey gathered from the forest are also on offer. Of particular interest is a folding box of cardboard decorated with tribal paintings. It opens out to reveal four small pouches filled with spices — cinnamon, cardamom, clove and pepper. Beneath each pouch is an explanation for the paintings that adorn the box.

In one corner is stacked a bunch of rainmakers and another tube-like structure. “Wind flute,” explains Kiruthika, the person in charge. She picks up one and swings it around; I can hear a faint whistling noise — the sound of the wind through the trees. Horses made of jute thread, colourful thorans made of string and beads, metal masks, statues and pen holders…. all lie pell mell on tables.

“We also have a limited range of textiles,” says Kiruthika showing me saris running material and readymades in mulberry cotton and Muga silk.

A screen with applique work

At the doorway to the other room, my attention is caught by a waterfall of light blue with a couple of Warli paintings hung on it. I glance at the opposite side to see a similar on in red. That has Pithora paintings. “These are screens with appliqué work,” Kiruthika answers my unspoken question. While the red is dramatic, it is the blue that my eyes come back to. The colour is soothing and the work delicate and beautiful.

However, the main focus of the exhibition is paintings. Gond, Warli, Pithora, Saora… the ones on the walls are framed but unframed canvas, cloth and paper works lie on tables, ready to be looked over.

Take a close look at the Saora paintings from Orissa and marriage ceremonies, hunting, even a palm tree climber tapping the sap… pop out. Truly paintings that are a slice of life.

The exhibition is on until December 16. Open every day from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm