Nov 16 2025 to Nov 16 2025 6 p.m.

Price: 100 Book/Buy

Where

Courtyard Koota

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

Event Description

Pattachitra Artisans in collaboration with Rohit Bhasi

Exhibition and Talk 

This is a collaboration with Pattachitra artists from West Bengal and Rohit Bhasi - a contemporary artist.  The intent of this collaboration is to take the craft to another context and for an exchange of ideas between the artists.  The brief for each piece has been created by the contemporary artist and working with the traditional artists we hope new directions will emerge for each of them. 

Mud Fort Megalopolis

A Pattachitra scroll co-created in by artist Rohit Bhasi and Pattachitra artisan Layala Chitrakar

Artist : Rohit Bhasi

Artist: Layala Chitrakar, Pattachitra, West Bengal

Title of the Installation: Mud Fort Megalopolis  

Short description of installation:

Mud Fort Megalopolis is a visual tribute to Bengaluru’s ever-evolving identity- from a modest mud fort village to a pensioners’ paradise, and now, to the buzzing megapolis it is fast becoming.

At the heart of this transformation sits a humble flower seller, envisioned as both spectator and sutradhar, quietly witnessing the unfolding story of her city. Her three heads symbolize an all-seeing presence, reflecting on the past, present, and future of Bengaluru. Each flower she strings becomes a metaphor for this change.

Around her, school children step into this world with curiosity, wonder and amazement, their gaze capturing the pulse of a city in constant motion, one that continues to reimagine itself time and again.

Pattachitra, West Bengal: Painting the Story

The Pattachitra tradition of Bengal is a form of painted storytelling practised by the Patua community, where art and song come together as one. Artists paint long narrative scrolls on paper or cloth using natural pigments derived from natural materials and then sing the stories they depict—mythological epics, local folklore, and social tales.

Distinct for its bold lines, rhythmic compositions, and lyrical flow, Pattachitra has evolved beyond its ritual origins to include contemporary themes and portable formats—from postcards and wall hangings to installations and public art. The form continues to embody a rare fusion of image, voice, and community, preserving India’s storytelling traditions while adapting to new audiences and contexts.

Layala Chitrakar
Pattachitra Artist, Midnapore, West Bengal

A talented artist from a lineage of award-winning Patuas, Layala Chitrakar carries forward Bengal’s living tradition of painting and song. Her scrolls blend the Midnapore and Kalighat styles, using natural pigments from minerals, leaves, and flowers. Through both mythological and contemporary themes, she keeps the art form vibrant and relevant. For Craft Forward, she collaborates with Rohit Bhasi on Mud Fort Megalopolis, reinterpreting Bengaluru’s evolving story through the lens of Pattachitra.

About Rohit Bhasi

Rohit is  a Bengaluru based visual artist, working under his personal brand Indigoranges. His practice is greatly driven by the storytelling practices and belief systems of the various cultures and communities around him. The human mind and body, with its myriad possibilities for beauty, creation and destruction, is a perennial source of inspiration. As with the performing arts and classical music. Looking back at the ancient through a contemporary lens is how hewould describe my work. He creates under his label Indigoranges  He undertakes commissions for murals, storybooks, editorial illustrations, digital marketing collateral etc.

*Open to all.