The art and craft consciousness in early post independent India inspired many artists here to revisit traditional practises with contemporary awareness and empathy. The challenges of critically defining the implied value of continuing traditions largely centered at that time on regional consciousness and the absorption of folk and tribal symbols as well as ritualistic practises. Emerging as an artist during this period, it was natural for S.G.Vasudev to imbibe the prevalent trends, initially as a student of the Government School of Arts and Crafts, Madras, and later as a prolific artist and founder member of the Cholamandal Artists’ Village on the outskirts of the city. Vasudev became known for his paintings, drawings and murals as much as for his versatility, ability to appreciate and skilfully adapt craft traditions such as copper relief and, later, tapestry as extensions of his art. His work with actual crafts - creating a range of products in batik, copper, ceramics and wood - was a separate pursuit, growing out of the Cholamandal experiment in the early days, which had artists spending a couple of hours a day on crafts as a means of earning a living at a time when the art market was virtually non- existent. His copper murals and silken tapestries are essentially artworks in different mediums and materials. The themes he explores in his paintings and drawings are also explored in copper and tapestry. In all his work, whatever the medium, the artist explores the eternal synergy between art and craft, tradition and contemporaneity, man and nature and fantasy and reality. The art of tapestry, emerging from a multiplicity of weaving traditions across the world, generated a variety of works, most of them designed for religious or decorative purposes, while some works evolved as reproductions of paintings by renowned artists. Vasudev was inspired by the tapestries created from works by Picasso, Braque and other artists which he saw during visits to Europe. His visit to Marc Chagall’s studio in 1980 and his interaction with the expert stained glass craftsman who had been assisting Chagall for 40 years left a lasting impression on Vasudev and motivated him to seek such an enduring association with an Indian craftsman. Vasudev’s growing desire to render his own paintings and drawings in the medium of tapestry and his meeting with master weaver Subbarayalu in Bangalore in 1995 led to a collaborative venture in which each drew on each other’s artistic mastery and ingenuity to create fresh, original works of art. Vasudev’s knowledge of and respect for crafts and textiles helped in overcoming the inevitable challenges of such a long-term experiment – spanning two decades. Handwoven imageries of select paintings were produced over the years using a stand loom to hold the warp and facilitate the interweaving of the weft of silk threads in selected colours (often specially dyed for the purpose), creating a pictorial harmony of form,

texture and colour. The loom is the ground for preparing a base in warp threads stretched lengthwise while the weft of coloured threads weaves patterns that transform paintings into silken imagery. The artisan interweaves each coloured weft over portions of the warp to form the design. The individual works that result from this process are unique and symbolic of the collaborative synergy between the artist and artisan. While paintings allow for a free flow of brushwork, tapestries require meticulous planning and great attention to technical details to achieve the required aesthetic proficiency. In his paintings, Vasudev works primarily with a single dominant colour into which other colours seep. The pictorial surface of tapestries, too, stimulates with the enticing beauty of a dominant colour that blends into a rich range of hues and accentuated lines playing with the space and texture of the imagery. Tapestry is labour-intensive and time-consuming, with a single work taking atleast three to four weeks to be completed, depending upon the size and intricacy of the original. Vasudev appreciates the fact that Subbarayalu had specifically asked him not to try and make the process easier by selecting paintings that he thinks would be relatively simple to translate into tapestry. As he points out, the weaver’s love for and commitment to his craft were evident in his desire to take on the challenge of working on any painting, however complicated. The complexities and beauty of the patterning can be observed on the reverse side of the art work, which reveals the counts, knots and painstaking process of tapestry. It also highlights the craftsman’s skill and the masterly way in which he handles the threads. According to Vasudev, the back of each tapestry looks totally abstract and can be as attractive as the front view. In one of his exhibitions, the entrance to the show featured the rear of a tapestry and in some others at least a few tapestries were hung so that both sides were visible. The themes represented in the present exhibition of tapestries in silk, are familiar ones explored in Vasudev’s many series of paintings and drawings over time, such as Vriksha (Tree of Life), Maithuna (Act of Love), Humanscape, Earthscapes and Theatre of Life. Maithuna, one of his earlier themes, is symbolic of the metaphoric union between man, woman and nature. Evolving from this series is a tree that manifests as Vriksha, a rejuvenating force of nature that once again brings together a synergy of coexistence between elements of nature, with birds, animals, humans, motifs and even Kannada alphabets interacting in harmony. Humanscapes transforms the tree of life to an imagery of faces composed of leaves and other matter that in course of time evolves into ravaged layers of a tree in Earthscapes, recalling environmental degradation. The tree of life continues to be an integral part of his later series too, including Theatre of Life wherein life is viewed as a portrayal of masked emotions, as well as the near abstract, lyrical texturing in the latest series, titled Rhapsody.

As an artist Vasudev creates his own characters and myths drawing inspiration from literature, theatre, music and other aspects of life, juxtaposed with folklore, legends and mythology. The relativity of existence can be seen as a thread of continuity unifying the works. As the artist says, ‘Whether it is man, woman, tree, sky, earth, sun, moon, all have to co-exist. That is what I see in life and that is what I reflect in my work.’ When the tapestries unfold they employ a rhythm of forms and colours that resonates and reminds the viewer that the fusion of art and craft involves a fine balance, an expression of the human spirit, an intimate collaboration between a master artist and a master artisan.

- Dr. Pramila Lochan

She & Tree | Tapestry in Silk | 35 x 38 ins 1

Tree & Monkeys | Tapestry in Silk | 57 x 36 ins 2

Theatre of Life | Tapestry in Silk | 51 x 34 ins 3

Tree & Monkeys | Tapestry in Silk | 42 x 38.5 ins 4

Man & Tree | Tapestry in Silk | 36 x 38 ins 5

Earthscape | Tapestry in Silk | 48 x 40 ins 6

Maithuna | Tapestry in Silk | 67 x 43 ins 7

Man & Elephant | Tapestry in Silk | 40 x 45 ins 8

Tree & Monkeys | Tapestry in Silk | 48 x 43 ins 9

Theatre of Life | Tapestry in Silk | 55 x 43 ins 10

Theatre of Life | Tapestry in Silk |73 x 36 ins 11

Tree Worshippers | Tapestry in Silk | 68 x 28 ins 12

She | Tapestry in Silk | 31 x 35 ins 13

Sun & Tree | Tapestry in Silk | 69 x 28 ins 14

Elephant | Tapestry in Silk | 34 x 37 ins 15

Man & Mountain | Tapestry in Silk | 47 x 40 ins 16

Earthscape | Tapestry in Silk | 34 x 50 ins 17

Ganesha | Tapestry in Silk | 35 x 33 ins 18

Ganesha | Tapestry in Silk | 44 x 37 ins 19

Theatre of Life | Tapestry in Silk | 70 x 37 ins 20

Ganesha | Tapestry in Silk | 43 x 37 ins 21

Man & Elephants | Tapestry in Silk | 60 x 45 ins 22

B. Subbarayulu

B. Subbarayulu was born in 1946 in traditional weavers family in Venkatagiri town (Nellore District of Andra Pradesh) which is known for its traditional cotton zari sarees. After completing his 7th class at the age of 14, he received training from his father Late Battina Venkata Subbaiah. He was able to produce cotton ani-butha (Jamdani) zari sarees with geomatrical and floral designs using jalla. He was weaving jamdhani sarees with out jalla technique at Venkatagiri town till he was 29 years. Subbarayulu joined Weavers Service Center in 1975 as weavers grade two and I started his service from Varnasi. He developed many tapestry pieces using cotton, wool and jute at Varnasi. He also developed multi color border / butta design sarees which received appreciation. Later he worked as weaver grade one in Bangalore from 1981 to 1999. He developed many traditional sarees employiing traditional and improved techniques. Silk brocade sarees with Ganda berunda motif was onc of them which earned him national award in 1986. He has worked with Late M.F. Husain and has been working with S.G. Vasudev, translating their paintings to tapestries. Subbaruyulu developed large number of cotton and silk sarees samples using different techniques, The samples developed were largely adopted in cotton and silk loom in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. He put up two looms in his house to continue service to the hand loom industries. He has trained his two sons and daughter in weaving of sarees and tapestry employing different techniques. His daughter Annapurna and son Prakash Babu are awarded with National Merit Certificate for the woven tapestry in the year 2007. He has trained over 100 of youngsters in different weaving craft with different techniques during his services and zeal to train more and more people to promote traditional handloom sarees and pass on the handloom techniques to younger generation.

S. G. Vasudev Born in Mysore (Karnataka) in 1941, Vasudev received recognition as a painter early in his career. He was awarded a National Scholarship by the Government of India in 1964, while he was a student of the Government College of Art, Madras, and a National Award from the All India Lalit Kala Akademi in 1967. Vasudev is a founder-member of the Cholamandal Artists’ Village on the outskirts of Madras (now Chennai) where he lived and worked till 1988. He now lives and works in Bangalore. Vasudev works in various mediums (drawings,paintings, reliefs in copper and tapestries in silk). He became well-known for his “Vriksha” (Tree of Life) series, which evolved over nearly a decade, turning into the Tree of Life and Death in the latter half of the 1980s. He also explored the theme of “Maithuna” (Act of Love) through a series of drawings, paintings and copper reliefs. Eventually his tree grew into faces titled “Humanscapes” and “Earthscapes”. The tree is still sometime visible in theseries titled “Theatre of Life” and “Rhapsody”. Vasudev has participated in several important group exhibitions in India and abroad (including the Triennale India, the Paris Biennale, the Havana Biennale, India’s National Gallery of Modern Art show in Washington, the Festival of India in Tokyo and The New South- Contemporary Paintings & Sculpture from South India in London. In addition, he has held solo exhibitions in different parts of India and the world(including USA, England and Germany). Exhibitions of his drawings based on the late A.K. Ramanujan’s poetry and translations, titled “Tribute to Ramanujan” have been held in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, London and Chicago. His works are represented in many individual , institutional and corporate collections in India and overseas. Apart from this he has executed a number of murals in different media. He has won recognition for his work in the form of several prestigious awards, including those instituted by India’s National Academy of Art, the State Academies of Art in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Kerala. The Government of Karnataka presented with the Rajyotsava Award in 1994 and a prestigious Venkatappa Award in 2003. In 2010 the Government of Kerala honoured him with the K.C.S. Paniker Puraskar. Vasudev has also been on the Executive Board of the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi and worked as a selection committee member twice for National Exhibition of Art. He served as Director for the International Art Camp organised by the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, during the 1997 Triennale India. He is currently a memb er of the advisory committee of the National Gallery of Modern Art, Bangalore. Vasudev’s contribution to cultural life has not been restricted to the visual arts. Deeply interested in music, literature and theatre, he has derived inspiration for his own work from the works of important literateurs and musicians. In addition he has designed and/or contributed paintings for the cover of several books by leading Kannada writers. He has also been art director for two award-winning Kannada films “Samskara” and “Vamsha Vriksha”. Vasudev is the founder and managing trustee of Arnawaz Vasudev Charities, which has been providing financial assistance to young artists since 1989. He is instrumental in the setting up of the non-profit organisation, Ananya Drishya, in Bangalore, aiming to help promote art appreciation among children and adults and create a database and library about art and artists of Karnataka. He is also closed associated with the Department of Visual Arts, Bangalore University

Gallery Sumukha, Bengaluru begun in 1996, has evolved over the years and is currently housed in the largest private gallery space of South India. Sumukha caters to a wide audience, nationally and internationally, and has a history of working with external curators and artists from various parts of the world. It supports artists in terms of commissions and relevant spaces to expose their conceptual thinking, thus marking it as an international space. Simultaneously it presents Indian Contemporary artists abroad through exhibitions and participation in International Art Fairs. Gallery Sumukha is a platform for established and next generation artists to showcase all forms and media of Contemporary Art, and offers a significant collection of contemporary work in all mediums – paintings, graphics, sculptures, drawings and new-media such as installations, digital prints & digitalised photography etc., and presents on an average, a show a month. The lighting & display system are state of the art which enables Sumukha to hold slide shows, lectures and interactive sessions, which are well attended by the students of the local art schools, as well as art lovers and others. Gallery Sumukha celebrates its 20 years.

W: www.sumukha.com | E: gallery@sumukha.com | T: +91.80.22292230 / 41207215

Photography: Mallikarjun Katakol