In a very remote location near Vadodara, Gujarat you will find one of India’s finest art galleries. The place is so remote and isolated from mainstream media that it’s very difficult to enter the village in a bus. I had the opportunity to visit Uttarayan Art Foundation as a part of my Digital Culture and New Media course accompanied by my professor and classmates. As I mentioned that the Art Foundation is more like hidden from public view for reasons unspecified by the owners, I understand why this is so when I see a flock of peacock in wheat fields, deers running in the far end. They don’t to spoil the beauty of this place by inviting visitors frequently from all parts of India. Taking Photographs of artifacts or models is strictly prohibited inside the foundation. Mr. Suguresh, an associate of my professor generously becomes our guide throughout the day explaining the types of art and its origin.
Before we start the tour Mr. Suguresh takes us to the canteen to have tea and snacks. A big painting on the yellow background of wall draws my attention. There are boats and houses in haphazard manner in the painting which I could not get the message from; but from an artistic point of view it’s extraordinary or so Mr. Suguresh claims when he announces that the painting is worth ten crores. After a brief discussion over tea and taking pictures as a group, we heads out to see the cottages where artists stay. Those were dormitory-like cottages with minimal amenities, giving a natural space to think and design the art. The environment around, which is far from chaos and human settlement is suitable for creative people.
In one section of the Foundation, traditional and old tribal art forms from various Indian states are showcased in a set of small houses. Pattachitra from Odisha was showcased in one room where it depicts stories from puranas and old mythology and the frames of art are exquisitely carved, very minutely, in a single piece of cotton cloth. There are also pattachitra of Lord Jagannath and arts that depicts regional stories. There is Warli paintings from Maharashtra, Gond paintings from Madhya Pradesh that depicts the life of tree and how it is related to animals too. In another room, Pattachitra from West Bengal is displayed which is so different from that of Odisha. Here, the paintings mostly depicts stories of Goddess Durga and Kali and the art forms are not that minutely carved as compared to pattachitra from Odisha, yet seemed beautiful. Mr Suguresh says that they shifted this whole cottage from a different location keeping it the same as it was, to preserve it. Our guide was very strict about taking photographs of artifacts but anyways, we were allowed to click pictures outside the museum.
In the arena, typical native cottages from Rajasthan were built where everything was made up of traditional things. That was a reminder to the technology driven world that how we are missing the joy of a simple living. There were big sculptures of stone, iron displayed outside in the open for public view. One of the big horses, of around eight feet long, was made out of clay in a few hours. Sometimes, it felt like Mr. Suguresh was exaggerating stuffs but then we couldn’t stop admiring the amount of efforts artists put to get this final product.
There was a certain bangle-like rounded structure of iron and on its periphery were designed a set of mini-sculptures that depicted the life cycle of women, I guess. Or maybe I don’t remember much of what Mr. Suguresh had said.
We take a tour of the campus in the bus to see the gigantic sculptures displayed at various corners of the Foundation which were very pleasant to our eyes. Along the way, we see beautiful flora and fauna as well. Mr. Suguresh takes us to the ceramic and sculpture studio to show us the instruments and some ongoing projects. There we meet certain artist and his works which were quite commendable. In that area, we see net arts, various types of sculpture whose artistic value can only be felt when you see it in your naked eye and realize the amount of efforts that goes into it.
In the evening, we go to see the riverside view, we take some pictures and bid goodbye to Mr. Suguresh. The Uttarayan Art Foundation was a location in disguise, yet so pleasant to experience.
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