Indian ethnic art show attract London visitors

New Delhi: An exhibition of Warli folk art, an ethnic art form from Maharashtra, is pulling visitors at the Nehru Centre in London. Warli art, which has become popular in the alternative art space in the last two decades, dates back to nearly 2,500 BC. It is a rudimentary mural art form that uses dots, lines and triangles to convey stories of the nomadic life and pagan religion of the Warli tribals. Images of humans, animals along with glimpses from nature and daily life jostle for attention on the crowded canvases - which in most cases are the walls. In the exhibition, which opened June 15 and will run till July 1, artist Babita Biswas has adapted her series of 48-canvases into a multi-coloured palette from the conventional two-coloured compositions of the Warli art. The artist has experimented with "Geet Govindam" as a subject to depict scenes from Lord Krishna`s life in the Warli idiom, a statement issued by the artist and the Nehru Centre said. She tries to decipher the divine love of Jaydev, a poet in the court of king Lakshmansen of Bengal in the 12th century, in her canvas. "Through this exhibition, I wish to fulfill three purposes. First, to present my work for critical viewing. Second, to give artistic expression to the immortal verses of Jaydev and transcribe `Geet Govindam` in a visual folk format. And third, to take one of the most vibrant tribal art forms from India to the world," the artist said. The artist, who has exhibited in eastern Europe, has been honoured with several state-level awards in the country.