The clay reliefs and figures created by Sonabai reflect a singular artistic vision shaped in isolation and imagination. Living in the remote village of Puhputra in Chhattisgarh, Central India, Sonabai began experimenting with clay and natural pigments after her marriage, when she was largely confined to her home. What began as a way to entertain her young son gradually transformed her surroundings into a vivid, handmade world filled with animals, deities and ornamental screens.

In 1999, Sonabai travelled to Brisbane for the third Asia Pacific Triennial with her son Daroga Ram. This selection of screens, part of a larger room-sized installation, invites viewers into Sonabai’s intricate world, where musicians, serpents and creatures from both domestic life and Hindu mythology appear in latticed jali screens. Sonabai’s legacy lives on in her region and through family members who continue her distinctive practice.