Outside In brings the dhokra work of Meera Mukherjee and Jaidev Baghel to Bengaluru

Outside In brings the dhokra works o Meera Mukherjee and Jaidev Baghel to Bengaluru

Just outside MAP I overhear a group of students talking about the dhokra pieces scattered as bric-a-brac about their homes. Like them, I had seen the pieces on display at the museum and I too, was guilty of dismissing them as beautiful show pieces until I saw Breaking the Mould, a short film running on a loop alongside the exhibits.

Dhokra is the art form indigenous to Bastar and Raigarh in Chhatisgarh created with the lost wax technique using bell metal. At least, that is how it would be defined. However, Breaking the Mould shows the painstaking process used to create marvellously intricate works, and suddenly there is a greater appreciation for the grains on a winnow, a chieftain’s elaborate headdress and the bejewelled bridle on a horse.

Meera Mukherjee and Jaidev Baghel, perhaps the most well-known names associated with the craft of Bastar dhokra, are responsible for putting this art form on the world map. Meera began working with Sriman Baghel, Jaidev’s father, in a bid to learn about dhokra. Eventually, it became her life’s work and she with Jaidev, inched it away from the brink of obscurity, giving the community of dhokra craftsmen hope that the work of their hands could be their legacy.

Outside In is a tribute to their work and showcases 26 sculptures and six pieces of kantha work by Meera from the MAP Collection. As part of this exhibition is a publication designed by Valentina Abenavoli with photographs by Philippe Calia and Jaisingh Nageshwaran, also titled Outside In.

Chennai-based Jaisingh, who also shot Breaking the Mould, says, “Since both these artistes are no more, MAP decided to make a movie about dhokra documenting this traditional craft. They also commissioned one of Jaidev’s works as many of the moulds he created still remain in his workshop.”

The piece bearing Jaidev’s signature, which was on the mould, is titled Raodeo and is of a deity on horseback brandishing two swords; in Breaking the Mould, a villager is seen explaining the legend behind the figure who is actually the protector of the community.

This 18-minute documentary film and the book, capture in photographs the process of creating a dhokra piece. The labour-intensive method gives one a greater appreciation of the detailing seen in every work of art. Some of the photographs are also displayed through the hall which houses these exhibits. A step-by-step illustration of the process as well as clay samples used are also on display.