Taking Indian Folk Art To The World Stage
Endangered Folk Arts Of India?
“Endangered” typically refers to living things like plants and animals that are at risk of extinction.
Indian Folk Art is no different. At International Indian Folk Art Gallery, we feel that these artforms are full of life and energy. Like plants and animals, they can breathe, they can transfer positive energy, and they can bring immense joy and good health to humans.
Sadly, if we don’t nurture and look after them, they will slowly disappear. Many have already gone extinct!
Endangered Folk Arts of India – International Roadshow, an Exhibition and Workshop is our attempt to create global awareness about Indian Folk Art and put them on the global map, where they belong.
The Indian folk arts are an important part of the nation’s culture and identity because they are directly connected with spiritual nature of our people’s lives.
This diversity in Indian Art and Culture is symbolized by the plurality of its culture. India has one of the world’s largest collections of songs, music, dance, theatre, folk traditions, performing arts and rites and rituals.
Its a great honour to host an international roadshow, “Endangered Folk Arts of India” promoting traditional Indian Folk Arts in and outside of India.
This includes series of exhibitions planned in India, Australia, USA, Canada, and at many more locations.
Passion beyond boundaries
We are an Australian art organisation with deep Indian roots and we aspire to take Indian Folk Arts to a global arena. The International Indian Folk Art Gallery (IIFAG) was formed in 2020 with support from friends and volunteers. The aim of our organisation is to shed light on endangered Indian Folk Arts while building a cross-cultural connection with Australian art lovers.
Indian Folk Art forms are ancient and versatile. There are over 50 traditional folk arts indigenous to India, each style distinct and originating from various states across the country. These traditional arts are over 3000 years old and their survival has been dependent on small communities passing knowledge down from generation to generation.
Today, some of these Indian Folk Arts are sadly on the verge of extinction, due to causes such as:
- industrial and economic pressure to prioritize alternative careers to the arts in India
- diminishing numbers of artisans still practising and propagating the artform
- artform being contained within India with no exposure directed towards non-residential Indians internationally
Getting children engaged is key to reviving Indian Folk Arts
At IIFAG, our mission is to propagate the beauty of Indian Folk Art across the globe and continue the tradition of teaching the next generation. So far, we have done this through art classes for children, workshops for adults, art competitions and folk art events. It is our aim to give these arts the necessary platform to flourish.
We hosted our first offline event after pandemic restrictions eased in Mumbai end of February 2022. We are hosting our first Australian event in St Kilda in May. As part of our 2022 initiative, we are planning to host four similar events across Australia and other parts of the world throughout the year
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A Grand Kick-Off at Mumbai, India
Endangered Folk Arts Of India – First Offline Exhibition and Workshop
The first Endangered Folk Arts Of India event was successfully held at Kamalnayan Bajaj Hall & Art Gallery, Mumbai at 11am on 28th Feb 2022.
The Endangered Folk Arts Of India exhibition was opened by Shri Rajiv Mishra, Director, Directorate of Art, Government of Maharashtra along with other honourable guests as Mr. Chandrashekhar Pusalkar (Grandson of Dada Saheb Phalke), Chitrakar Sadashiv Kulkarni (Teacher, Artist), Mr. Kumar Khaire (Jt. MD. Film City), Mr. Ravi Sinha (Director Hi Impact Pvt Ltd), Mr. Sudhir Pandey (Actor), Mr. Rajesh Puri (Actor), Ms. Seema Bakliwal (Vice Chairperson, Bakliwal Foundation), Mr. Akhil Mishra (Actor, Director & Writer), Ms. Suzenne Bernet( Actress), Mr. Sanjay Sardhana ( Actor & Social Worker), Ms. Sanober Pardiwala(Stunt Girl, Bollywood) and the last but not the least, Ms. Rekha Sunil (Art Enthusiast).
Mr. Senthil Vel, Founder of International Indian Folk Art Gallery, Australia the host of the event welcomed the guests and the artists. The guests were later honored with a shawl and a bouquet.
Mr. Rajiv Mishra, Director, Directorate of Art, Government of Maharashtra addressed the audience and stressed the need to protect traditional Indian Folk Artists and our rich culture of Indian Folk Art. The event was covered by various media groups, including Doordarshan.
Later, the visitors then had a tour of the exhibition, appreciated and recognized the artists who had traveled from different parts of India. Read more>>
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First International Indian Folk Art Exhibition & Workshop - Space2B, Melbourne, Australia
First International Event – Endangered Folk Arts Of India
We are so excited to welcome you to be part of our first Endangered Folk Arts Of India, International Indian Folk Art Exhibition and Workshop at Space2B, St. Kilda, Melbourne, Australia from 5th – 30th May 2022.
Space2b Social Design is an art and design social enterprise. It has been established to support people seeking asylum, refugees and newly arrived migrants to become financially independent. This is achieved through creative enterprise, workplace training and business mentoring.
Space2b has a unique, dynamic creative workspace comprising a retail outlet, gallery, design studio, workshop, training center, meeting room, and small business hub.
Space2b is an incorporated association governed by a Board of Directors who are volunteers from the local community. The Board provides governance and, on consultation with enterprise participants, sets strategic directions for the organisation.
We will be curating over 30 selective artifacts from all over the Indian sub-continents. We have also planned for workshops to provide more in depth knowledge about Indian Folk Arts.
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The Largest Indian Folk Art Exhibition & Workshop - Bangalore 2022
Largest Indian Folk Art Exhibition & Workshop – Endangered Folk Arts Of India
We will be curating over 200 selective artifacts from all over the Indian sub-continents.
40 of these artworks will be from the winners of Lok Kala Ratna Award 2021. This includes children aged from 6 to 18, along with amateur and professional artists (Group A, B, C and D)
In addition, we will have over 160 unique artifacts, which includes a large collection of Tanjore paintings, along with Pichwai, Pattachitra, Kerala Mural, Saura, Madhubani, Gond, Mysore, Cheriyal, Kalighat, Patua, Mata Ne Pachedi, Palm Leaf Engraving and Kalamkari Paintings.
We have also invited traditional Indian folk artists to run workshops during the event. These workshops will be on Warli, Gond, Cheriyal, Madhubani, Pichwai and Pattachitra paintings. An excellent opportunity for art lovers to watch, meet, and talk with these traditional artists.