The Tales We Tell

This exhibition presents a rare insight into Warli, a tribal art form from Western India. Drawing on a store of tribal memory, myths and everyday life, it has evolved from restricted ritual drawings into an applied art in the process of transition. Focusing on the innovative style of Jivya Soma Mashe, who opened up the traditions of Warli to a new iconography, and his follower Ramesh Hengadi, who has developed his own distinctive style in response to the changes in community life, shift in local markets and global economies.

Also featuring a film by artist, Johnny Magee reflecting on Mashe's practice and daily life. An installation created through a pictorial exchange between puils at Redlands Primary School, Tower Hamlets and a village school in Dahanu, Thane. The children use the accessible narrative language of Warli to tell each other stories about their respective lives.

The Tales we Tell: Indian Warli Painting is part of the V&A India Festival.