Workshop on traditional doll making

“Let your love for your country find expression in hard work day after day without wages, reward or recognition”

Rabindranath Tagore

Arpita Bhattacharya writes about an art space in Kolkata, West Bengal, which engages the community around clay.

Bengal is one of the most popular states of India and boasts a cultural richness. It is also a place where many ideas are exchanged and creative works are created. Culture can help a nation create, develop, and progress. It is constantly evolving with time. Culture and creativity affect economic, social, and all other aspects of our society.

Studio Calyx Kolkata is an art space situated on the outskirts of Kolkata, near Baruipur, about a 10-kilometre drive from the city, amidst nature. The space consists of a workspace for terracotta and ceramics. We try to use everything in terracotta or ceramics that comes from nature—the earth, clay, and fire. We wanted to bring that out in our display.

Worshipping the god of the forest

We organise an exhibition every year here in our garden. This year is very special as this is our 5th year of Annual Exhibition, which embodies the spirit of relationship, so we have celebrated this event in a broader way. In this exhibition, Revival, we tried to delve into the intricacies of the creative pattern of Bengal. We attempted to overview the vast array of art forms. We presented the regional influences and political changes that affected the creative styles and passion of our artisans, who have the power to overcome innumerable hardships and pursue their journey for generations. We also significantly contributed to the immense progress of our society’s aesthetic awareness. They continue to create their unique works with inexpensive and readily available ingredients. They help us to enrich our lives by making them more aesthetically pleasing.

Here, we welcome our audience to explore remarkable examples of art installations with folk art, a vital part of our rich craft and culture. Artist Tamal Bhattacharya and his team (Studio Calyx Kolkata) collaborated, guiding the local folk artisans to depict the various stages of creation, transforming the craft forms into art. The traditional folk arts of Bengal are decorative, ingenious, and incredible art forms. The concept is to showcase the installations, murals where folk art meets modern art, a doll’s house where tiger and monkey can reside, a crocodile resting on the premises, and clay utensils ready for cooking.

Some traditional dolls

There are the sounds of silence. A small amount of water was poured into another pot as organic colours were mixed into it quietly. Mizanur, an artisan, started drawing on the leather part of the Instrument. He is from Mograhat, South 24 Parganas (West Bengal). He, along with his potter friend Sujan Pal, continues to create kinetic musical instruments for children. This is an age-old craft of Bengal.

Without taking his eyes and hands off the clay that’s swiftly forming a traditional doll, Rahul Sardar, another artisan from South 24 Parganas, shared with us about his struggle in life, how he became a painter of buildings. In a very subdued voice, he requests that he eagerly wishes to continue creating the dolls if he can. We believe that the stunning works will encourage us to explore old media and techniques in new ways to convey our visions.

There are eight installations.

1. Transformation of pottery,
2. Worshipping the God of the forest (Dakshin Rai of Sundarban),
3. Votive animals,
4. Marriage of fishes in the presence of God,
5. Monkeys in various moods,
6. Mural with textile and ceramic,
7. Installation with kinetic musical Instruments,
8. Museum collection
9. Figures in a triangle.

All these artisans belong to a group of people who have few words, but their passion and their craft speak volumes. Artist Tamal Bhattacharya has paid a unique homage to our indigenous folk art forms by amalgamating his experience and creating such intense installations. We are grateful for his contribution. We have also conducted a Workshop on ‘Traditional Doll Making’ by an artisan, Rahul Sardar, as he can create exquisite dolls in a very easy way.

We wish to organise more such events so that future generations can understand that the skills and knowledge involved in this have immense educational value and teach them about history, creativity, and sustainability. Moreover, nowadays, some artisans are engaged in other professions to sustain their livelihoods, apart from this practice. We try to encourage them to practice again and to make them believe that once our Bengal is the home of exquisite clay, textile and wood crafts.

It is crucial to take measures now; without proper care and attention, these cultural treasures may be lost forever. We are incredibly delighted that many distinguished artists, art connoisseurs and art students have visited our exhibition. This exhibition aims to raise awareness about these incredible art forms, with the hope of reviving and passing them down to the next generations. In Revival, we celebrate the creativity, collaboration and their relationship with the community.

Studio Calyx Kolkata

Tags

ceramics | exhibition | India | West Bengal