‘Bloom at Dusk’: a solo exhibition by Jodhaiya Bai Baiga

A solo exhibition titled ‘Bloom at Dusk’, showcasing works by indigenous artist Jodhaiya Bai Baiga (1937–2024), will open at Ojas Art, New Delhi, on January 23. Curated by Minhazz Majumdar, the exhibition presents over 50 paintings and traces the late artist’s journey into art, which began in her late sixties.

The exhibition will remain on view until March 11 and is closed on Mondays. It brings together works that draw from Baiga cosmology, forest life and lived experience in Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh, where Jodhaiya Bai spent much of her life.

Jodhaiya Bai Baiga began painting after years of working as a labourer and gathering forest produce. Her early experiments with clay, gourds and papier mâché later developed into acrylic paintings on paper and canvas. Her visual language is marked by recurring images of forest landscapes, ritual figures, deities and animals, reflecting both cultural memory and ecological awareness.

Several works address environmental change and loss, including responses to forest fires and degradation. These themes are embedded within compositions rooted in oral traditions and indigenous knowledge systems rather than overt commentary.

Jodhaiya Bai was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2022 and the Padma Shri in 2023. Her work has been shown in India and internationally, including exhibitions in Milan and Paris. Bloom at Dusk is her first major solo retrospective.

The exhibition is presented in association with the Ashish Swami Centre for Arts and the Ramchander Nath Foundation, and is accompanied by a publication. Curatorial walkthroughs and public programmes are expected to be announced during the exhibition period.

When: January 23 to March 11

Where: Ojas Art, New Delhi