How marketing strategies and design interventions can empower tribal artisans

Tribal art, in India, has always been an integral part of life, inseparable from seasonal changes and festivities. Paintings are found on mud walls after a harvest, etched on floors during festivals, cast in metal for rituals, woven from forest fibre, shaped from earth and bamboo. The colours used come from soil, leaves and stones; the motifs from birds, animals, crops, ancestors and everyday memory. The process is labour-intensive and deeply connected to the ecology.

Tribal art was never meant to be decorative alone, it has always been a medium of storytelling, carrying the voices and stories of the communities. For instance, in Warli paintings (from Maharashtra), human figures are depicted in circles, symbolising agricultural cycles; Gond art from Madhya Pradesh draws from stories of forests and spirits; while Sohrai murals in Jharkhand celebrate cattle, fertility and seasonal change.

Gond art from Madhya Pradesh are drawn from stories of forests.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Celebrating this diversity of tribal visual art is the ongoing Tribes Art Fest (TAF) 2026 at Travancore Palace. Organised by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), the 12-day festival brings together more than 75 tribal artists and over 1,000 artworks representing more than 30 tribal art traditions. Open to the public until mid-March, the exhibition is an exhaustive showcase of tribal visual culture.

The show presents an impressive display of artworks. Besides Warli and Gond there are Bhil works from central and western India; Dokra metal casting from West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha, Saura paintings from Odisha, Kurumba art from Tamil Nadu, Bodo textiles from Assam and bamboo crafts from the North-East. Mandana floor designs, Godna tattoo-inspired motifs and Sohrai murals add further richness to the exhibition.

Northay Kuttan says Toda embroidery is a skill mastered mostly by women.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

TAF is more than just a showcase. The Ministry has emphasised that the festival aims to create fair market conditions and direct linkages between the artists and buyers, collectors, galleries and institutions.  

Toda embroidery is a unique art form, which is mastered mostly by women.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The dialogue at TAF also extends to shedding light on the embroidery, practised by the Toda community from the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu. Northay Kuttan, a member of the Toda Adivasi community and the president of the Nilgiri Primitive Tribal People’s Federation, said, “The Toda people are an indigenous community with a population of only 1,428. Out of these, 480 people are involved in embroidery, a skill mastered mostly by women. This embroidery is a unique art form where floral patterns are handcrafted on a white cotton fabric using black and red woollen threads. There are over 580 patterns, inspired by Nature.”

Northay adds that Toda artisans are encouraged by the varied schemes offered by the government, and Toda embroidery is displayed and sold at many exhibitions organised by the government. “Although the craft has gained popularity worldwide due to its GI status, the community itself hasn’t benefited much, as outsiders buy and sell it for profit. However, things are beginning to change. TRIFED purchases and sells the pieces Tribes India shops, boosting the livelihood of the community.”

Oraon artwork by Sumanti Bhagat.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

One of the highlights this year is Project Khum — Rooted in Creativity, conceptualised by Jai Madaan in collaboration with tribal women artists. ‘Khum’ meaning flower in Kokborok (Tripura), symbolises blossoming. The installation invites women artists to collectively transform a shared visual structure with their own motifs and colours. Timed around International Women’s Day, the project places emphasis on women’s leadership and creativity within tribal communities. 

In many ways, festivals such as TAF serve a dual purpose. They create visibility for art forms that are often geographically distant from urban centres, and also bring attention to the economic realities behind them. Another renowned artisan, Suresh Pungati, from the Naxal-hit village in the Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra, says raw material, branding, finishing and marketing remain a challenge for the artisans. Suresh, who practices Dokra metal art, has established Devrai Art Village in Panchgani to enable artisans to imbibe new design sensibilities into their art form. For the festival, Suresh has brought works that blend brass and stone. 

An artwork by Suresh Pungati.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

“Festivals such as these give us an opportunity to interact directly with the buyers, designers and get ideas on packaging and marketing our work. I feel we will benefit more if people come to our village and see live demonstrations of the art work. We also would like to set up a museum and a gallery and conduct workshops in our village, for which we require funds and infrastructure. We can collaborate with art and design students to create new design forms. It will be mutually beneficial,” he believes. 

Tribal art is laborious, whether it is casting metal through the lost-wax technique, preparing natural pigments, or weaving bamboo by hand. Recognition alone is not enough; sustained livelihood opportunities make the real difference. 

An Oraon artist giving the finishing touch to her painting.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Oraon artist Sumanti Bhagat from Chattisgarh, who is exhibiting canvases at the festival, feels that such events give them visibility and understanding of the art-ecosystem in urban spaces. Traditionally, Oraon art was practised only on walls and floors, but over time shifted to canvas. The artists draw ideas from the history of the community, their life and significant events. They use mud, soil and natural colours. Sumanti, who teaches Oraon art in Jharkhand says, “Once I go back, I will insist that the students persist and preserve this art form.”

Rooted in Nature, community and memory, tribal art continues to evolve without losing its grounding. The festival offers a chance not only to experience this richness, but to engage with it more directly, through commerce and conversation. 

(Tribes Art Festival is on at Travancore Art Palace, Delhi till March 13)

Published – March 10, 2026 12:45 pm IST