Important Notice

One of the most widely recognised names in the tradition of the Warli style, Jivya Soma Mashe was born in Maharashtra, India. He was the first to step beyond the borders of practising Warli as an art form restricted to rituals. Mashe painted on a regular basis, tracing his motifs on canvas. He gained fame first within his own community, and was later discovered by Bhaskar Kulkarni, a Mumbai based artist. Kulkarni mentored Mashe and convinced... One of the most widely recognised names in the tradition of the Warli style, Jivya Soma Mashe was born in Maharashtra, India. He was the first to step beyond the borders of practising Warli as an art form restricted to rituals. Mashe painted on a regular basis, tracing his motifs on canvas. He gained fame first within his own community, and was later discovered by Bhaskar Kulkarni, a Mumbai based artist. Kulkarni mentored Mashe and convinced Kurshed and Kekoo Gandhy to hold a show of his works at Chemould Gallery in 1975. It was this exhibition that shot Mashe to fame and put Warli on the map of the art world.

Mashe’s art was inspired by folklore and stories of celebration that are narrated to the children in his tribe from a very early age. His images were based on simple forms, such as the circle borrowed from the moon and sun, the triangle borrowed from mountains and trees, and the square, which has no natural equivalent and is therefore used to symbolize sacred enclosures. Human bodies are represented with two triangles, which are given an extraordinary quality of life and movement.

Mashe had traveled to several countries, including Japan and Canada, and had many shows in galleries and museums there. Among his exhibitions are ‘Autres Maîtres de l’Inde’ at the Musée du Quai Branly, Paris, in 2010; ‘Nek Chand’ at the Halle Saint-Pierre, Paris, in 2007; ‘Jivya Soma Mashe and the Warli Tradition’ at Shippensburg University, USA, in 2006; ‘Un Incontro’ at the PAC (Contemporary Art Pavilion), Milan, in 2004; ‘Dialog’ at Museum Kunst Palast, Düsseldorf, Germany, in 2003; ‘Other Masters’ at the New Craft Museum, New Delhi, in 1998; ‘Magiciens de la Terre’ at Centre Pompidou, Paris, in 1989; and an exhibition of his works at Gallery Chemould, Mumbai, in 1975.

The artist had been featured in several publications, including "The Warlis: Tribal Paintings and Legends" by Chemould Publications, and "The Painted World of the Warlis", by Yashodhara Dalmia. He lived and worked in Dahanu, Maharashtra.

Jivya Soma Mashe passed away on 15th May 2018.

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