Tree Of Life

A virtual gallery event and emergency relief fundraiser with 100% of profits going to Indian artisans

KALAMKARI ARTIST

KIRIT CHITARA

The tradition of kalamkari painting stretches back eight generations in Kirit Chitara’s family. His father and grandfather earned national awards for their work and now he is carrying on the tradition in his own right. The maintenance of this craft heritage is more than just art for art’s sake—the religious traditions that surround this particular form of painting, called Mata ni Pachedi (“behind the mother goddess”), is still thriving in the state of Gujarat. The Chitara family was featured in the BBC2 series “Hidden Treasures of Indian Art” in 2011, giving international audiences a glimpse into this still-vital artform.

Kalamkari work is painting done on cloth using a bamboo stylus and natural dyes, and Mata ni Pachedi employs this technique, but with a unique twist. Across the centuries, invading forces swept across the landscape time and time again, and temples, with their idols of gods and goddesses, were targets of destruction. The Mata ni Pachedi cloths, depicting scores of goddesses and their legends, became moveable temples that could be saved from desecration. The Chitara family’s Mata ni Pachedi cloths still adorn places of worship during festivals and communicate vital cultural heritage to worshippers and appreciators of their artistic virtuosity.

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