Many Visions, Many Versions: Art from Indigenous Communities in India

Summer 2020, through August 30

Explore the breadth of India’s cultural life and heritage through contemporary artwork from four indigenous artistic traditions. From central India’s Gond and Warli communities, the Mithila region of Bihar, and the narrative scroll painters of West Bengal, more than forty paintings and drawings feature dazzling patterns, vibrant colors, and nonlinear storytelling.
Many Visions, Many Versions: Art from Indigenous Communities in India presents artwork rooted in traditional culture, yet infused with issues of global interest. Among the twenty-four indigenous artists are Jangarh Singh Shyam, Jivya Soma Mashe, Sita Devi, and Swarna Chitrakar.
With themes ranging from myth, cosmology, and nature – real and imagined – to village life and contemporary issues, Many Visions, Many Versions highlights cultural roots and current concerns via artists’ distinctive forms, techniques, and styles.

Many Visions, Many Versions: Art from Indigenous Communities in India was curated by Drs. Aurogeeta Das and David Szanton with assistance from consulting curator Jeffrey Wechsler, organized by BINDU Modern Gallery, and toured by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC.

Exhibition Highlights

Sita Devi, Krishna, 1970, mud, oxide colors on particle board, © 2015, courtesy of BINDU Modern Gallery, photo by Sneha Ganguly

Ram Singh Urveti, Woodpecker and the Ironsmith, 2011, acrylic on canvas, © 2015, courtesy of BINDU Modern Gallery, photo by Sneha Ganguly

Jamuna Devi, Raja Salhesh with his Two Brothers and Three Flower Maidens, ca. 2000, natural dyes on paper, © 2015, courtesy of BINDU Modern Gallery, photo by Sneha Ganguly

Jangarh Singh Shyam, Tree and Panther, 1988, gouache on paper, © 2015, courtesy of BINDU Modern Gallery, photo by Sneha Ganguly

Japani Shyam, Jungle Scene, 2011, acrylic on canvas, © 2015, courtesy of BINDU Modern Gallery, photo by Sneha Ganguly

Thanks to the members, donors, grantors, and sponsors who support exhibition and programs. Wausau Homes is the presenting sponsor of the summer exhibition; 5 Koshas Yoga and Wellness is the programming sponsor. Additional educational support comes from Alice W. and Joseph F. Smith, Jr. and Jim and Sue Konkel. Exhibitions and programs are supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. Marketing supported in part by City of Wausau Room Tax funds. Support for hands-on art-making supplies comes from Wilmington Trust and the M&T Charitable Foundation.