Title: The Warli Artist
Format: Video Animation Film
Software used: Adobe After Effects
Time: 15 minutes
Audience: Those who are interested in non-western cultures
and issues of cultural appropriation.
Setting: A place in the western Maharashtra, north of Bombay,
near Thane district called Dhanu. A village populated by Warli Tribe.
Characters: Ramu - A Warli Artist , Dhanpatrao- Warli Art trader
/ Money lender and Villagers
Objectives:
1. To make the audience aware of the concept of the right of “ownership”
to folk art.
2. To make the audience aware of problems of urbanization mainly exploitation
of labor including Artist.
3. Make audience aware of issues of cultural appropriation.
4. To instigate the audience to support the tribal people.
My views: Warli as an art has flourished all over India in
past few years. The art is no more confined to the little villages in which
the tribe resides. It has reached urban homes and the international markets.
In this process, the Warli art is manipulated and sold in the consumer market
by many agents, regardless of the protection of ownership. A few manufacturers
are using the art as a decorative design for artifacts like trays, glasses,
cups, pots and pans, lamps etc. It thus becomes an issue of concern when the
art is sold in the consumer market without any acknowledgments to the tribal
artists.
My intensions of making a film on the issue of ownership of this folk art is
to create awareness of the fact that the tribal artists are not benefited by
the sale of the artifact while the salesman, middleman, agents are getting rich.
The tribal people are still struggling to get basic education and necessities.
Some are still fighting to get back their land that was once mortgaged to the
landlord. I believe that this art style can help them generate finances with
which they could get their lands back, get education and other resources to
survive in the economy. I believe that if we as consumers, agents and urban
artist send a small percentage of the sale of Warli art to the Warli tribal
people, it would help them achieve their goals.
Description:
Start: A village boy (Ramu) is in the open field drawing on a stone singing
a song. Suddenly the characters come alive and start dancing. Ramu gets absorbed
in the painting and dances with the characters. Ramu wakes up from his dream
and is startled by a moneylender (Dhanpatrao).
Middle: Dhanpatrao appreciates Ramu’s art. Dhanpatrao gives Ramu an earthen
pot to draw on and keeps it after he is done. He tells Ramu that his art will
give him lots of money. Dhanpatrao makes copies of the artwork and sends it
to his friend in the city to duplicate it on artifacts. Dhanpatrao gives Ramu
Rs 5 for the design. Everyday since then Ramu would give Dhanpatrao small drawings
of the village and village life. Dhanpatrao would sell those drawings to his
friend in the city who would then replicate it on artifacts and make lots of
money. Dhanpatrao would also make lots of money in the process but Ramu would
get a negligible amount from those transactions. One day Ramu goes to the city
with his friends on a pleasure trip. They go window-shopping to the city market.
Ramu enters a gift shop and looks around. He finds that the shopkeeper is selling
designs made by him. The artifacts are also high priced. Not knowing what to
do Ramu returns back to the village.
End: Ramu refuses to give Dhanpatrao his drawings. Dhanpatrao becomes furious and shouts but Ramu stands still. Ramu demands Dhanpatrao to make a contract and write off his debts, only then he would give the artwork. Dhanpatrao promises to give Ramu a share of 40% profits of the sale of the artifact. They make an agreement. Ramu is very happy, so is Dhanpatrao.