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In the 1980s and 90s, as Indian modern art grew more personal and introspective, a new wave of attention turned toward indigenous folk and tribal practices, not as peripheral craft, but as vital contributors to the modernist project. While earlier figures like Jamini Roy had reinterpreted folk aesthetics through a modernist lens, it was only in this later period that tribal artists themselves began to emerge as significant voices within the institutional art world.
Among the most influential of these early tribal artists was Jangarh Singh Shyam, a Gond painter from Madhya Pradesh. Discovered by painter and cultural visionary Jagdish Swaminathan, Shyam reimagined the traditional motifs, mythologies, and intricate patterns of Gond art into bold, large-format compositions that resonated deeply with contemporary art audiences. His work reshaped the community's cultural legacy, bridging tribal motifs and modernist idioms. His rise signalled a pivotal moment in Indian art history, marking the widening of the modern art movement to include the perspectives and aesthetics of communities long excluded from its narratives.
'Jangarh Kalam from Patangarh Continued' — presented by The Raza Foundation, Progressive Art Gallery, and Triveni Kala Sangam — is a celebration of Jangarh Singh Shyam's enduring legacy and his influence on both tribal artists and tribal art. The exhibition features more than 200 original artworks by over 50 tribal artists, many from Jangarh Singh's native village of Patangarh in Madhya Pradesh.
At the heart of this exhibition lies Jangarh Singh Shyam's journey from a self-taught temple painter to globally celebrated modernist master. Jangarh's practice, rooted in ritual iconography, myths, and folklore, yet strikingly modern in form pioneered what is now widely recognised as 'Jangarh Kalam' — a style recognisable by its intricate linework, pulsating patterns, and luminous depictions of nature, cosmology, and memory. The Jangarh Kalam transformed Gond painting from a village tradition into a genre celebrated by global museums and collectors.
Divided into four curatorial sections — Sacred and Secular Cosmologies, Nature as Memory, Modern Realities, and Forms in Motion — the show weaves together past and present, sacred and experimental. While some artists paint traditional subjects like gods, ancestors, and forest spirits, others take on contemporary themes of climate change, migration, urban aspirations, and even digital aesthetics. A scroll-based installation sits next to a panel of fluorescent animal figures rendered in motion, revealing a genre unafraid of change.
What makes this initiative particularly significant is its ethical framework. All the artworks have been acquired in advance by Delhi and Dubai-based Progressive Art Gallery, ensuring direct financial support to the participating artists and their communities. This model of acquisition not only provides economic dignity but also resists speculative commodification, which is often a concern in the tribal art market.
Curated by Harsh Vardhan Singh, the exhibition also includes a robust cultural programme: guided tours by tribal artists, workshops for school children, and public lectures on tribal epistemologies. A documentary screening offers deeper insight into Patangarh's artistic ecology, demystifying how this remote village became a global node of contemporary indigenous art.
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