The word “tradition” evokes continuity with the past, and often exact replication is seen as the criteria for evaluation, for upholding the tradition. At Devrai Art Village, the ancient technique of Dhokra metal casting was not merely preserved, but reimagined. Ours is a living civilization, not frozen in time in a museum. At Devrai, we are evolving our traditional art, both technically and thematically.
Memories have a strange handwriting, written over time in the creases of your very skin. And now think about the memories of planet Earth! Millions of years have condensed into a stone that flows down a stream. Yes, the rock dhokra stone has the memories of an age that spans beyond even the human existence. Created from the volcanic lava and shaped by water and other elemental forces, it is a piece of Art created by Nature. We artists just embellish it, adding a story to the Timeless process without any beginning or any end.
It all began with a simple thought that crossed my mind- one had seen sculptures in stone and in metal separately, and since we were doing metal casting at Devrai, could we try putting the two mediums together? Could metal converse directly with stone? What followed was meticulous experimentation. The Devrai team tested multiple stones, pushing the limits of both material and technique. Only the Basalt found in this area could take the heat of molten metal poured into the mould. Other weaker stones like marble or sandstone would break.
The first taste of success was the creation of the icon of the Nature Goddess with Peepal leaves in her hair! I have a fascination for the Peepal tree because it evokes many cultural associations. The Buddha got enlightened sitting under the Peepal tree. The Peepal tree in the Indic tradition evokes the Divine. Sri Krishna in the Bhagvad Gita (10.26) has said – “amongst the trees, I am the Peepal (Ashwattha)”. Ashwattha literally means “that which does not remain the same tomorrow”, pointing to continuity through change. That perhaps is the essential feature of the Indic tradition of which “Rock Dhokra” is just a manifestation.
At Devrai there is constant exploration and experimentation, both with the form and the content, the medium and the story that is retold. The creation of the Dancing Nandi illustrates this with precision. Unlike the Nandi icons made either in stone or metal, the Rock Dhokra Dancing Nandi showcases the fusion of the two mediums. Moreover, the Nandi that has been sitting in the same posture looking up to Shiva now starts dancing with him! We have been creating Dancing Nandis in various postures that depict different moods and situations. The Dancing Nandi accompanies the iconic Tandav of Shiva. He also dances in a joyous frenzy with Gangadhar Shiva, who’s taking the massive flow of the river Ganga cascading down the skies into his matted locks. The stories reinterpreted highlight the ecological wisdom and values inherent in our cultural heritage. Shiva’a Tandav is the cosmic dance in rhythm with “rta” or the cosmic cycle that sustains the Universe. The matted locks of Shiva, what are they if not the trees that take the brunt of the rain falling from the skies, and lower it gently into the earth sustaining all living beings. The trees become the conduits to channelize the raw energy of the swirling galaxies (Akash Ganga) into the ground.
The recent creating of the Karvi Goddess/Yakshi, again helped us to give a concrete form to our imagination, and image the Unimaginable. Karvi (Carvia callosa) is a wild shrub that flowers once in eight years after which it dies, leaving behind seeds for the next generation to emerge. The gregarious flowering makes the hillslopes look as if painted purple. The network of the root system prevents soil erosion of the hillslopes. Art enables us to translate into a simple language the profound workings of Nature, where the physical and the spiritual realities overlap. It provides an experience of the sacred in Nature. Our Forest Garden, where Devrai Art Village is located, is forever inspiring us with new stories because in Nature there are no duplicates! Thus, art at Devrai has become a means of exploring our Indic civilizational roots, and communing with Nature.
Evolving tradition has become an integral and organic process of being an artist at Devrai. Our exploration both with the form and the content has given us a wide range of techniques- Devrai Pot Dhokra (fusion of ceramic/terracotta with metal), Devrai Organic Casting (using the real elements of nature for casting), Molten Metal Painting (using solidified pieces of molten metal as an integral part of the design), and more recently Enamel Art which has enabled us to do paining on metal. In the Indic tradition, art was never merely decorative, but an essential part of daily life, and in that spirit, even at Devrai art spills into items of daily use such as jewellery, door handles, waterspouts and even bottle openers!
We realized at Devrai, that we can sustain our heritage only by evolving it, and making it relevant and appealing to modern needs and tastes. It is also due to the lack of innovation that many of our indigenous artforms are slowly dying, making the next generation of artists and artisans reluctant to follow their household tradition. At Devrai we strive to provide livelihood options by creating a space where innovative creative expression of indigenous arts sustains both – the art and the artist.
Founder and Chairperson of Devrai Art Village
