FOR THE LOVE OF ART
Indian folk artist Vidisha Pandey’s journey is a cosmic endeavour to glorify the art of today
The power of the paintbrush is one to be reckoned with — equivalent to hand drawn paintings and other Indian artworks. But some art forms, like contemporary paintings or expressionism paintings, tell a story by provoking specific emotions, while others make a statement. And some may act as metaphors, featuring multiple meanings that don’t always meet the eye. A similar story can be seen in Vidisha’s Creations. With a discerning eye for art, Vidisha Pandey is one of those inspirational people who has remained creative and inspired through art, creating a hub for art lovers and artists equally.
A resident of the UAE, Vidisha is one of the most vibrant and dynamic personalities in the field of art with a passion to popularise Indian folk art in the UAE and around the world. Trained in Mithila art, the Dubaibased Indian folk artist is well-respected and admired in art circles. Under her leadership, a team of remarkable artists have joined together for the cause to make Indian art get its due around the globe.
Works of renowned contemporary artists are the treasure of Vidisha’s Creations, and under her able guidance, a young galaxy of talents also get a platform to feature their works as a socio-creative venture. Vidisha’s passion for Indian art and craft is quite substantial. The talented artist took part in ‘The Art & Craft Exhibition Series’, held as part of ‘India @75 — Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ from July to September 2021, and was one of the nine shortlisted to showcase her art among 650 participants.
In 2019, Vidisha was honoured with the prestigious Oversea’s Award for Madhubani art (an Indian folk-art form) by Mukti Art Gallery and Maithil Manch, an NGO based in Mithila region of Bihar. With a vision to create awareness about Indian folk art, Vidishacurated a first-of-its-kind Indian Folk Art Exhibition (Pankhudi) under the patronage of Indian Consulate Dubai on June 25, 2022. Under her guidance, the exhibition witnessed more than 26 folk art forms.
With more than 4,000 works from over 300 international artists, World Art Dubai 2023 (WAD) served as the ideal platform for Vidisha to display and promote her extraordinary artworks and portray long forgotten
folk and tribal arts. Along with other top professionals, her exhibition featured a range of folk art pieces, including striking paintings. Each colourful frame had its own story to tell that drew the eye and spoke to the artist’s mastery of form. At the contemporary art fair, Vidisha’s Creations sold more than 36 paintings, adding a new record to her name.
Another highlight of the year was the launch of the New Year calendar ‘Samay 2023’, which was unveiled at the Indian Consulate by Aman Puri, Consul General of India in Dubai.
Another feather to her cap was the ‘Ekatra 2023’ — The Indian Folk and Tribal art
event that was inaugurated by Kalpana Iyer, Indian film actress on May 21 at the Indian Consulate, Dubai. The event witnessed about 27 Indian folk art with detailed explanation about each art form, including aipan, blue pottery, bani thani, devnagri, gond, kalighat, kangra, kalamkari, Kerala mural, lippan, mandala, manjusha, mithila, Maharashtrian sanskar bharti, mandana, mysore, nettipattam, pithora, pattchitra, pichwai, relief, rajput, santhal, saura, tanjore, theyyam and warli art.