Agriculture in different seasons

The original inhabitants of India are most correctly described by the umbrella term Adivasi. Under this term a large number of communities exist with different social, religious and artistic practises.

Minakshi was born into a community of Varli or Warli people in Ganjad, in rural Maharastra. Traditionally she painted on the walls of domestic dwellings but as her practise grew she travelled to different centres around India to exhibit her paintings made using a grass blade, rice paste and poster colour on paper or cloth.

Her painting often has the diagrammatic quality of a pictogram but is rendered with an exquisite attention to detail that captures the nuances of everyday life. The artist's eye for detail and delight in celebrating everyday events, weaving them into larger compositions, is a distinguishing feature of her work.

Here you see the cycle of agricultural activity that takes place during the year: ploughing the soil, sowing the seed, harvesting the crop and threshing the grain.