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Artist Bio:

Prajwal Naitam is a visual artist from Maharashtra, India. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Government College of Art and Design, Nagpur, and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Painting from Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai.

Working from within the Gond community, her practice explores Indigenous knowledge, ritual, memory, and ecology through painting, sculpture, film, and installation. Drawing on field research, oral traditions, and lived experience, Naitam reinterprets Gond narratives within contemporary artistic discourse. Her recent work examines Bada Dev Gango Pooja and the cultural continuity of Gond communities in contemporary India.

Artist Statement:

My practice explores how Indigenous knowledge, ritual, and memory can be reinterpreted through contemporary visual language. As a member of the Gond community, I draw from oral traditions, lived experiences, and field research to investigate the ways cultural narratives are preserved, transformed, and transmitted across generations.

Inspired by the pioneering work of Jangarh Singh Shyam, I seek to expand the possibilities of Gond art beyond its conventional representations while remaining rooted in its cultural foundations. Through painting, sculpture, film, and installation, I engage with stories, symbols, and rituals that continue to shape collective identity.

My recent work focuses on Bada Dev Gango Pooja, a significant ritual within Gond culture. Through documentation and direct engagement with communities in Maharashtra's Yavatmal district, I explore how ritual knowledge, ecological relationships, and ancestral memory are sustained in contemporary life.

Central to my practice is an interest in the forest as a sacred and living archive rather than a resource. By examining Indigenous understandings of land, kinship, and interdependence, I aim to create work that challenges dominant narratives of representation and contributes to broader conversations on cultural continuity, environmental stewardship, and the evolving role of tribal art in contemporary society.