Patna: From sacred trees and travelling gods to vanishing forests, changing cities and stories of community origins, ‘Chitrasutra’, an exhibition at Arthshila Patna, offers a glimpse into how India’s traditional artists have interpreted the world around them.Curated by Preeti Bahadur Ramaswami and designed by Amitabh Pandey, the exhibition brings together paintings on cloth, canvas, paper and scrolls by artists from diverse vernacular traditions. It shows how these practices have evolved with changing communities and circumstances.The ‘Connecting Trees’ section explores the relationship between people and nature. Works by Kalamkari artists from Andhra Pradesh, along with Warli, Bhil, Gond and Madhubani artists, portray mahua, neem and sal as sources of life, identity and spiritual meaning. Gond paintings draw from stories traditionally narrated by Pardhan storytellers, while Warli works celebrate cultivation and regeneration.‘Gods on the Move’ focuses on portable worship, featuring Gujarat’s Mata ni Pachedis, Andhra’s Kalamkari, Odisha’s Pattachitra and Rajasthan’s Devnarayan Phads. These works turned cloth and scrolls into travelling shrines, allowing stories and deities to move with communities.‘Quotidian Worlds’ shows vernacular artists responding to contemporary realities. Warli artists have depicted the Covid pandemic, while Bengal’s Patuas have addressed events such as the tsunami and other crises.‘Self and the World’ explores collective memory and identity through Cheriyal scrolls, Mithila paintings and Santhal Jadu patas.Rishika, a visitor, said traditional knowledge of nature was embedded in the paintings. ‘Chitrasutra’ is a visual record of communities, landscapes and beliefs, and of an India changing rapidly around them, she said.
