Ojas Art in New Delhi presents Bloom at Dusk, a solo retrospective exhibition of works by Jodhaiya Bai Baiga (1937–2024), a contemporary indigenous artist from the Baiga community. Curated by Minhazz Majumdar, the show opens on January 23, 2026, and runs through March 11, 2026. It is closed on Mondays.
The exhibition features more than 50 paintings by Baiga, who began her artistic practice in her late sixties after years of labor including gathering firewood, collecting forest produce, and manual work to support her family. She received guidance from artist Ashish Swami (1962–2021), who founded an arts center near her home in Umaria, Madhya Pradesh. Baiga initially worked with clay, gourds, and papier mâché before transitioning to acrylic paintings on paper and canvas.
Her works depict Baiga cosmology, sacred imagery, ancestral spirits, human figures, ritual dancers, and forest creatures. Recurring motifs include the mahua tree, Lord Bholenath, and Baghesur, the tiger god. One painting, The Burning of Bandhavgarh, addresses forest fires and environmental loss.
Baiga received the Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2022 and the Padma Shri in 2023. Her art has been exhibited internationally in Milan, Paris, and New Delhi.
Minhazz Majumdar, the curator, stated: “Jodhaiya Bai Baiga transforms memory into living color, painting the ancient pulse of the Baiga people into every stroke. Her work stands as a triumphant testament to resilience, ancestral wisdom, and the limitless power of self-taught imagination.”
Anubhav Nath, director of Ojas Art, said: “We are very excited to present Jodhaiya Bai Baiga’s first major solo retrospective show. I wish it had happened in her lifetime, but better late than never.”
A publication accompanies the exhibition. It is presented in association with the Ashish Swami Centre for Arts and Ramchander Nath Foundation.
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