Narrative of a Tradition

India is the home to several diverse art forms. A lot many are on the verge of extinction either due to lack of interest by the general milieu or because of the due exposure that these art forms deserve to the populace. With a renewed interest in the exquisite folk and tribal art traditions of the country, the art forms and the artists both are getting their space into the mainstream urban galleries and in the contemporary market.Narrative of a Tradition has been envisaged to bring out the narratives from various genres of Indian folk & tribal art and engage the viewer by demonstrating their dynamic nature, their evolution in tandem with the socio-cultural environment and the transformation in building traditions as seen in the recent times. Here the artists narrate the stories from the traditional repertoire and the contemporary events, the focus here is on the art of storytelling in each of the genres which are part of the exhibition. These works offer a broad view of the practices of a diverse group of artists who share many commonalities, perhaps the most important being that each of them has created truly original bodies of work outside of any formal academic dialogue. In their myriad forms, these traditional arts serve as an essential documentation of India’s longstanding cultural heritage. Their legacy is not to be ignored. Yet lack of patronage forces the artists to look for alternative means of income. This exhibition Narrative of a Tradition is a reiteration of the fact that these indigenous art forms and artists need a platform to ensure that their legacy endures. When we say contemporary adivasi / tribal art it sounds something outlandish. As thegeneral notion about the term contemporary is something on the contrary to the later. One, which is perceived as something very new, recent and urban centric, whereas, the other is imagined as the rearward, still on a stage of evolution and rooted in oral tradition. While the later has faced many difficulties as lack of materials, psychological demoralization, a sense of inferiority in the face of commercial products and the absence of patronage. But,due to the advent of market, renewed interest, vocal for local, and bringing forward the indigenous practices have led to bridge the gap between these art forms and the other contemporary art forms. Many a times have got representation on the same platform blurring the boundaries between the aboriginal and so-called contemporary. We can summarise that any art that is being done in present times is contemporary. So as the folk and tribal art that is being done in today's times is contemporary as well.