CAG 2020 onwards
AKSA
Avinash Karn
Ranti Village, Bihar
Contemporary Madhubani artist Avinash Karn initiated Aksa in December 2020, with young women of marginalised communities in and around Ranti village in Madhubani (Bihar). Avinash had earlier worked with Artreach to bring his traditional practice of Madhubani painting to tribal women in Chandidih, Jharkhand.
Sameena, Rehmati, Saleha and Sajida have been part of regular sessions led by Avinash to learn the basics of Madhubani painting, and art history from around the world.
Returning to his native village in Madhubani during the Covid 19 Lockdown, Avinash soon organised a studio space within the village, and began to work with young women from across different caste and religious backgrounds, collectively.
Through this process, Avinash has broadened the scope of this traditional painting form, to be practised by a more diverse group of people, and to reflect the realities and experiences of young women in Madhubani.
Renowned women painters of Madhubani have been invited into these sessions at Avinash’s studio to tell stories about their paintings.
Meeting regularly at his studio, the participants experiment with various media and tell stories from their life experiences, while also learning about new methods, artists and writers. They have created illustrations, comics and paintings and written texts along with these - about their dreams and aspirations and also challenges of health care, employment and education.
​Thank you to Seema Kohli Studios for your continuing support for this project!
About the grantee
Avinash Karn is an artist based in Ranti village, Madhubani, Bihar. Previously he has conducted workshops for urban dwellers as well as in the form of community building initiatives with the tribal people in Jharkhand. He studied at Banaras Hindu University’s Department of Fine Arts but has kept his focus on the art of Madhubani with his art practice.