Shilpotsav 2018: a celebration of arts and crafts by women artisans

In this special edition of PhotoSparks for International Women’s Day, we feature artworks from across India at the Shilpotsav exhibition.

PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In the earlier 180 posts, we brought you a wide range of creative photographs from an art festival, cartoon gallery. world music festival, telecom expo, millets fair,climate change expo, wildlife conference, startup festival, Diwali rangoli, and jazz festival.

Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, founded in 1960, hosts a range of exhibitions and workshops in its Arts Complex. The indoor and outdoor space in Bengaluru is home this week to Shilpotsav, a celebration of arts and crafts by women artisans.

In this edition of PhotoSparks, we showcase exhibits from over a dozen Indian states, with pottery, paintings, ceramics, upcycled art from reused paper, tapestries, wood carvings, basketry, leather lampshades, and terracotta accessories. Companies with ethnic and contemporary exhibits featured as part of International Women’s Day celebrations include Vidi Velli Handicrafts, Sri Maruthi, Nayagam Crafts, Terra Barn, Victory Creations, and Shristhi.

“Listen to your instincts, don’t suppress them,” Bengaluru artist Poornima Prasad of Terra Barn advises aspiring artists. “I used to scribble in my notebooks during boring lectures. Those scribbles blossomed later to artistic motifs,” she joked, in a chat with YourStory. Her son also used to scribble designs as a child, and is now a full-fledged animator, she adds.

Fabric painter Vijay Mala from Auroville says her creative journey is more of “heart to art” – happiness in her heart becomes art for the customer.

Now what have you done today to celebrate art in the spirit of diversity, inclusion and empowerment?

Got a creative photograph to share? Email us at [email protected]!

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