Curator Sunaina Suneja has done an excellent job with her new exhibition Bapu: The Craftspersons’ Vision on view until October 25 at the India International Centre Art Gallery Annexe, Lodi Estate, New Delhi. Part of a larger festival dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, the exhibition features work by contemporary craft artists who have each interpreted some aspect of Gandhi’s life, work, and philosophy into a variety of mediums. From sanjhi paper cutouts to kantha embroidery to warli painting to Bengali + Orissan patachitra to bandhej tie and dye – the artists involved in the show have produced works that are not only true to their particular craft tradition, but also thoughtful, whimsical, and poetic. Suneja has artfully juxtaposed these various works to create a show that is much more than a celebration of Gandhi’s life; Bapu: The Craftspersons’ Vision urges the viewer to reconsider Gandhi’s contribution to Indian society through the lens of 21st-century craft practice with its new forms, familiar styles, and evolving techniques.

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Artists in the exhibition include:

Ram Soni (Sanjhi)

Nirmala Jharkhand (Appliqué)

Satish Chandra (Madhubani)

Brijender (Madhubani)

Vijender (Jaipuri miniature)

Rajesh Chaity Vangad (Warli)

Jagdish (Mata-ni-pachedi)

Akshay (Orissan palm leaf + patachitra)

Mohan (Gond)

Abduh (Bandhej)

Nabha Foundation (Phulkari)

Usman (Wooden printing blocks)