Experience the dynamic mysticism of West Bengal’s arts and crafts in London, Edinburgh and Glasgow
Experience the dynamic mysticism of West Bengal’s arts and crafts, and evoke the visceral storyteller in yourself. Biswa Bangla presents exhibitions, live demonstrations and workshops on the making and rich history of the Masks of Bengal and the visual storytelling form of Patachitra. Although used originally as ways of spreading ancient mythology, the integration of modern social themes and issues in the artwork makes Patachitra and mask making inspiring tools for today’s artists.
“Biswa Bangla is like a window to the world of Bengal. We have left the drapes open so that you can gaze into the soul of its land and its people, its culture and heritage and feel the love, skill and hard work that has gone into the making of its handicrafts and its hand-woven fabrics.”
– Rajiva Sinha, Principal Secretary, Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises and Textiles, Government of West Bengal, India
Biswa Bangla, ‘Where the world meets Bengal’, is a government initiative of one of the most culturally diverse states in India, West Bengal. Biswa Bangla, through its partners and networks, impacts over 10,000 artisans, craftspeople and weavers. It encourages innovation, provides design assistance and improves quality and supply chains for the handloom and handicraft products of the state. With craftsmanship they want to share the energy and creativity of the people. The development of Rural Craft and Culture Hubs is overseen by banglanatak .com, a social enterprise. In collaboration with UNESCO, the creation of Rural Craft and Culture Hubs across the state not only encourages innovation and preserves the culture and talent of Bengal but also enriches and improves the quality of life of artisans and craftspeople.
“I believe that culture is the biggest connect to people in India and that our strength lies in its diversity. Rural India is a gold mine in traditional art and culture, celebrating and enyoing is the mantra. I am moved by culture and I feel a social enterprise can contribute immensely to uplift the rural marginalised population which is why I embarked on this journey. I want to help define villages as cultural destinations.”
– Amitava Bhattacharya, Founding Director of banglanatak dot com
Mukhosh (mask) making is an ancient craft form that dates back centuries. Although a craft shared throughout Bengal, the masks are fiercely individual. Each region utilises different techniques to create their individual Mukhosh, and the materials used are just as diverse as the state of Bengal, with bamboo, wood, clay, paper and metal all part of the process of creation.
Patachitra is a visual storytelling form that takes the form of painted scrolls, depicting sequential scenes from stories, legends and myths. The stories of the scrolls are brought to life by singing scroll painters, known as Patuas. Originally they travelled from village to village, singing their stories whilst unravelling and painting the scrolls, illustrating the stories and bringing them to life in another visual dimension.
Like the arts and crafts of Bengal, Gods and Demons is a topic that remains relevant and captivating in the twenty first century. The theme of good and evil is not only the starting point for the genesis of Patachitra and Mukhosh, but has enchanted audiences for thousands of years. Heralding from Bengal, the history of their origin is just as mysterious as the masks themselves. Perhaps the best place to start is their affiliation with powerful witches, who according to Bengali folklore, brought the masks into being as a way of concealing their identity. The rich colour and flamboyant designs were also intended to attract innocent victims, sacrificing them in return for immortality. The initial genesis of the masks began with great religious importance but now find themselves an integral part of many different dance forms, used symbolically to appease the demon gods and usher in peace and prosperity.
Patachitra subjects began with religion and folklore, nowadays the paintings depict contemporary events like terrorist attacks, tsunamis and earthquakes. Whilst the traditional style of the Patachitra has remained constant for thousands of years, the depicted subjects have seen a shift in the passage of time, just as our perceived concept of Gods and Demons has. What makes modern Patachitras so enchanting is their ability to portray important social themes and the demons of our day, like gender inequality, child marriage and climate change whilst staying true to the ancient and mesmerising style.
Our exhibitions are enriched by live demonstrations from modern day practitioners, who are striving hard to preserve ancient traditions and hope to keep the culture alive through their practice. Through these demonstrations, our audiences can get involved in the process and interact with the makers, thus creating a future for, as well as preserving the traditions and rich cultural heritage of West Bengal.
Charged with continuing the beauty of these arts and crafts, our artist are innovative and passionate about their work. Shankar Das is a leading mask maker from Sabdalpur, a village in the Dakshin Dainajpur district of West Bengal. The talent of Das’ artistry is illustrated by the presentation of a State Award for his work. Das plays a leading role in managing a collective of mask makers at Kushmundi and participates in fairs all over India. A young artisan from Naya, a village in West Bengal, Suman Chitrakar has mastered the traditional Patachitra artform, applying it to modern day products such as; painted bags, apparels and crockery. Patachitra’s influence on today’s artistic community can be seen in its similarity to graphic novels and comic books; a world that Chitrakar is also involved with. It is our hope that the live demonstrations will give our audiences a real tangible knowledge of the intricate processes that go into creating these pieces, processes that are just as important and creative as the works themselves.
“As a designer, I am passionate about the future of ‘making’ in a globalised world. We have only begun to scratch the surface of the potential of collaborating traditional skills with modern perception, and cross cultural engagement. My role at Biswa Bangla is this fascinating journey of discovery and reinterpretation of traditional craft skills by engaging with both designers and enthusiasts.”
– Neishaa Gharat, Designer, represents Biswa Bangla in the UK
Continuing on from the stellar success of the showcase at London Design Week 2015, Biswa Bangla are now furthering its mission throughout the UK to create awareness, appreciation and engagement for a range of audiences. Gods and Demons is a showcase that has grounded roots in the past, yet the concepts are still as enchanting today as they were thousands of years ago; with a design that speaks to artists, craftspeople, students, children and general culture enthusiasts worldover.
Our summer calendar of Gods and Demons exhibitions begins at the Nehru Centre in Mayfair – the Indian Council for Cultural Relations in London and will also visit both Glasgow and Edinburgh. The Edinburgh Museum, is home to spectacular collections of decorative art, where we will be hosting live demonstrations and workshops and then continue on to being a part of the opening weekend of the Southside Fringe Festival in Glasgow, hosted by ArtVillage to passionately promote a wider interest in arts, crafts and skills and spur interest in the learning and teaching through community engagement.
Biswa Bangla believes that there is a keen appreciation for Bengali arts and crafts in the modern community and we want you to be part of it. Keep these art forms alive by bringing the magic of Bengal’s temples into your home.
by Jasmine Pepler
London
Nehru Centre
3rd to 6th May
11am – 5pm
Edinburgh
Museum of Edinburgh
Thursday 12th May, 11am – 5pm
Free drop-in event
Friday 13th May, 10am – 1pm
Gods and Demons: Interactive Patachitra workshop
Free drop-in event
Friday 13th May, 2pm – 5pm
Gods and Demons: Interactive Mukhosh making workshop
Free drop-in event
Glasgow
Art Village Scottland
14th and 15th May
as a part of the Southside Fringe festival
To keep the beautiful spirit of the London exhibition alive we have created a visual archive of the exhibits so that you can relive the beauty of the arts and crafts. Also experience our eclectic opening reception evening in London.