Rajwar sculptors
Kalpa Vriksha
Atma Das Manikpuri
Born 1972, Udaipur, Chhattisgarh, India
Bhagat Ram Rajawar
Born 1971, Puhputra, Chhattisgarh, India
Daroga Ram
Born 1953 Puhputra, Chhattisgarh, India
Rookmani Bai
Born 1980, Udaipur, Chhattisgarh, India
Parbatibai Sarthi
Born 1955, Rakhara, Chhattisgarh, India
Live and work in Surguja District, Chhattisgarh
The remote village of Puhputra in Chhattisgarh is now renowned for a small group of artists who have developed a remarkable and unique sculptural tradition to adorn their surroundings. Developing from a post-harvest festival tradition of decorating newly white-washed and repaired houses, the art form was singlehandedly transformed by artist Sonabai (c.1930–2007), leaving a lasting legacy to her community (her work appeared in APT3 in 1999). Her only son and the longest living practitioner of the tradition, Daroga Ram, along with Bhagat Ram (a distant cousin of Sonabai's son) and Atma Das with his wife Rookmani Bai have collaborated to create a range of architectural, sculptural and figurative forms. Along with Parbatibai, a self-taught artist whose figures are inspired by visiting Sonabai's house, they are some of the few practicing proponents of the tradition.
Bhagat Ram Rajawar / Puhputra, Chhattisgarh India b.1971 / Untitled (panels, jali (screens), figures) (detail) 2015 / Multani clay, bamboo, wood, coir, natural colour / Installed dimensions variable / Purchased 2016 with funds from Ian and Patricia Munro through the QAGOMA Foundation / © Bhagat Ram Rajawar