Nov 08 2025 to Nov 09 2025 11 a.m.

Price: 1500 Book/Buy

Where

Courtyard Koota

Ground floor, Good Earth Tarana Good Earth Malhar, near Rajarajeswari medical college Kambipura, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560074

Event Description

Mask-making with Sunayana Guhesh and Cheriyal Painting Artisans
A two day workshop on 8th and 9th November from 11am to 1 pm

Enter the imaginative world of mask-making with artist Sunayana Guhesh and Cheriyal artisans from Hyderabad. Using pre-moulded mask bases and quick-dry materials, participants will sculpt, paint, and exaggerate features to invent their own “beautifully bizarre” alter ego. Traditional techniques meet contemporary play as the session explores how distortion and fantasy can express hidden aspects of identity.
A hands-on, sensory experience celebrating the creative potential of craft — where every mask becomes a portrait of imagination.

Cheriyal Masks: Faces of Folklore

The Cheriyal mask tradition of Telangana evolved from the larger narrative art of Cheriyal scroll painting—a storytelling practice once used by itinerant performers to illustrate episodes from epics and folklore. Over time, these painted faces stepped off the scrolls and became three-dimensional characters that bring to life characters from local myths and village theatre.

Handcrafted from sawdust, tamarind seed paste, and locally sourced gum, these masks are moulded by hand, and they are painted in the vivid red, blue, and yellow tones distinctive to Cheriyal art.

Today, artisans like Pavan Nakash and Sowmya Danalakota continue to adapt these forms beyond performance—creating masks as wall art, educational tools, and installations that bridge craft, storytelling, and sculpture.

About the Artisans

Pavan Kumar Danalakota and Sowmya Danalakota
Cheriyal Scroll Painters, Telangana

Third-generation artists from a celebrated family of Cheriyal painters, Pavan and his wife Sowmya continue a legacy that spans over seven decades. Their lineage includes National Award–winning artist Danalakota Chandrayya. Together, they have revitalized Cheriyal storytelling through murals, workshops, and installations across India.

About Sunayana Guhesh

Sunayana Guhesh is a contemporary artist and designer known for her imaginative work in sculptural mask-making and mixed-media installation. Her practice focuses on exploring hidden identity, distortion, and fantasy through the exaggeration of human and animal features.

Sunayana approaches the mask not as concealment, but as a medium for embodying alter egos and subconscious narratives. She is particularly adept at integrating collaborative techniques and quick-form materials into her process, encouraging participants to engage directly with the therapeutic and expressive potential of craft. For "Craft Forward," she champions the intersection of traditional craft discipline with contemporary artistic play.

Age 12+