Art Tree Will Host SAMANVAY, Harmony in Nature

Following the hugely successful art shows promoting and helping to sustain folk arts of India, Art Tree is all set to organize yet another show ‘SAMANVAY, Harmony in Nature’ at the Bikaner House from November 3rd till November 8th, 2023.

The 6-day event will offer the unparalleled experience of Indian traditional art forms while highlighting each artist’s unique local ecosystems.

The exhibition will be formally inaugurated on 4th November, 2023, at 4 pm at the Bikaner House, New Delhi.

Open to the general public 3rd November onwards, the show will have the exclusive works of some well-known and internationally acclaimed visual folk artists of India, who have created special and never-before-seen-before artworks for our show to be in sync with the theme ’Samanvay and Nature.’ The names of the 7 artists are: Madhubani- Manisha Jha; Phad - Prakash Joshi; Sanjhi - Ram Soni; Gond - Japani Shyam ( daughter of Jangarh Singh Shyam); Warli- Baalu Mashe, Sadashiv Mashe and Pravin Mashe ( son and grandsons of Jivya Soma Mashe).

The other highlight of the event is a panel discussion on 4th November, 2023 at 5 pm at the venue.
The topic of discussion is: Indian Folk Art & Artists vis-a-vis Global Traditional and Folk Art. The experts representing divergent categories of art and culture will deliberate and examine where Indian art stands and how they foresee its artistic and commercial growth in today's scenario'.

Keeping in mind the broad view of the subject, it is imperative that we have an all-inclusive view, and hence, a meritorious panel of distinguished participants has been formed. They include Ms Mugdha Sinha, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Ms. Sushma Bahl – Independent arts advisor, writer and curator; Ms. Nuzhat Kazmi – Head of Art and Aesthetics, Jamia Millia (retd); Anubhav Nath – Owner Ojas Art Gallery. The session will be moderated by Amit Jain - Folk Art collector.

On the special occasion, Ms. Pragati Agarwal – Founder, and Managing Director, Art Tree, whose foresight, vision and imagination led to her dovetailing her passion for the fine arts with her creative farsightedness and astute marketing acumen into establishing and shaping Art Tree, says, “With a view to fostering awareness about issues related to diverse ecosystems unique to numerous rich folk art that India has always been known for, we are making sure that many of the brilliant artists from different regions belonging to long-established time-honoured art forms get their due. And so, through their unique format, the art forms, ranging from Madhubani, Phad, Warli to Sanjhi and Gond, envision our focus on celebrating them, thereby starting important, inclusive conversations about the need for their conservation and sustainability. The artworks for Samanvay have been handpicked personally by me and my team to ensure their exceptionality and matchlessness. I am so overwhelmed and enormously grateful to both art connoisseurs and art lovers for helping us make a distinctive mark for ourselves in the overcrowded market of art. I am also indebted to them for their unconditional support in this day and age when everything western is what the youth gets attracted to.”

Ms. Neerja Sarin, Advisor- Art Tree, feels equally charged about Samanvay. “Besides the event showcasing such creative works, the show will also serve as a platform for experts to deep-dive into the wealth of our Indian aesthetic diversity across the five different art forms.”

About the show, Arts advisor, writer and curator Sushma Bahl, says, “We tend to be unidimensional when we think about art, and mostly look at contemporary and modern art as the be-all-and-end-all, whereas if we take a look around, the cityscapes around us are full of natural art displayed in all its splendour. The exceptional aspect of traditional art is that despite being age-old, all the art forms - be it Madhubani, Phad, Sanjhi, Gond or Warli – have a contemporary feel too, and hence, have survived for decades in our land. I am hopeful that as part of our rich heritage, it will live on forever. I am looking forward to this particular show, and aim to support the artists in whatever capacity I can in facilitating and helping them explore their local natural environment more.”