Anil Vangad hails from a small Warli tribal village in the state of Maharashtra, but his work has been exhibited across India, Europe and the U.S. As a child, he was entranced by watching his mother paint in the tribe’s traditional manner, and she taught him the techniques and imbued him with respect for its centuries-old roots. Vangad works exclusively with natural materials like rice paste, cow dung and charcoal, and advocates for other Warli painters to do the same and eschew synthetics. While his materials are historical, Vangad’s perspective is contemporary, documenting his thoughts and observations of modern village life in his paintings.

Warli painting stretches far back into undocumented history, and the forms of gods, goddesses, humans and animals that are still used today have an elemental, ancient quality. Traditionally, these figures, as well as non-figurative designs, have been painted onto houses during times of celebration, but the work has migrated to paper that can be sold. The materials used in Warli painting speak directly to the circumstances of village life and the local environment—cow dung from the animals that give sustenance, rice paste from the surrounding paddies, charcoal from the fires that are vital to life.