Voices from the Earth: Women, Nature, Power

Voices from the Earth celebrates the expressive power of women artists working within vernacular art traditions, acknowledging their struggles, resilience and creative energy. At either end of the exhibition, two immersive spaces recreate living artistic traditions and pay homage to two celebrated women artists: Ganga Devi, the Mithila painter, and Sona Bai Rajwar, the sculptor from Sarguja. Both artists overcame considerable personal difficulties through their art while transforming the traditions in which they worked.

The exhibition reflects on the transition of ritual art practices from the walls and floors of homes to canvas and paper, bringing attention to the creativity and imagination of women artists who have responded to this transformation in distinctive ways. Sustaining cultural memory and transmitting mythic narratives across generations, these artists have also embraced change and responded to transformations shaping their inner and outer worlds.

Viewers are offered a rare glimpse into the work of celebrated women artists from Mithila, including Ganga Devi, Baua Devi, Tara Devi and Anmana Devi, among others, who, from the 1960s onwards, transferred women-centric ritual painting practices from domestic walls to paper and canvas. Themes unfold from mythic narratives to contemporary reflections on nature, ecology and urban life. Lado Bai transforms the horses of the Bhil Pithora legend into a repetitive motif, while Jodhaiya Bai Baiga’s work comments on the burning of the Bhandhavgarh forests. Durga Bai Vyam’s sculptural installations revisit the myth of the Narmada river, bringing it into dialogue with its beleaguered existence today. Teju Ben Jogi’s long scroll, in contrast, unfolds a vivid panorama of everyday life in the city.

The exhibition also features specially commissioned works that bring visitors into conversation with living artistic traditions. Mithila murals of Naina Jogin and Nagabandh are being created on site on canvas, under the supervision and in collaboration with Mithila scholar and artist Dr Savita Jha. The Vayeda brothers, Tushar and Mayur, are creating a wall featuring Suhvasinis, women painters who traditionally made these works for ritual contexts. Clay artists from Sarguja are creating works for the exhibition, drawing on the sculptural traditions associated with the celebrated artist Sona Bai Rajwar.

Voices from the Earth: women, nature, power is presented by KNMA in collaboration with Saffronart Foundation.

Speaker Series

As the Speaker Series Partner of ART MUMBAI 2026, KNMA presents conversations exploring developments across the art ecosystem, from the growth of cultural institutions and public art to creative collaborations, women artists and emerging technologies. The series brings together leading voices from the art world, including KNMA’s leadership, to exchange perspectives on the evolving contemporary art landscape.

12 Nov 2026

Art, Nation, And The Politics Of Display | 3.30pm – 04.30pm
Speakers – Kulapat Yantrasast, Jitish Kallat, Roobina Karode, Dr. Deepanjana Klein

13 Nov 2026

Scaling Up: The Future Of Art Institutions In Asia | 12.00pm – 1.00pm
Speakers – Lydia Yee, Zeina Arida, Manuel Rabaté, Dr. Deepanjana Klein

Collecting: From Private Passion To Public Legacy | 2.00pm – 3.00pm
Speakers – Kiran Nadar, Dipti Mathur, Kito de Boer, Minal Vazirani

The Fine Print Of Fine Art | 3.30pm – 4.30pm
Speakers – Kirti Balasubramanian, Punya Nagpal

Book Launch: My Tyebi – A Memoir | 5.00pm – 6.00pm
Speakers – Sakina Tyeb Mehta, Shabana Azmi, Himani Mehta Dehlvi, Nusrat F Jafri, Vaseem Ahmed Dehlvi, Yusuf Mehta, Minal Vazirani, Dinesh Vazirani

A Poet And A Painter | 6.00pm – 7.00pm
Speakers – Javed Akhtar, Baaraan Ijlal, Ranjit Hoskote

14 Nov 2026

Living Legacies | 11.30am – 12.30pm
Speakers – Krupa Amin, Geetha Mehra, Amita Malkani, Dr Naman P Ahuja, Siddharth Somaiya

Satish Gujral: The Modernist And His Many Worlds | 1.30pm – 2.30pm
Speakers – Feroze Gujral, Kishore Singh

Reframing The City: Public Art In India | 3.00pm – 4.00pm
Speakers – Vishal K. Dar, Ranjit Hoskote, Veeranganakumari Solanki, Srinivas Aditya Mopidevi

Enter The Art: How Immersive Tech Is Redrawing The Gallery Walls | 4.30pm – 5.30pm
Speakers – Alap Parikh, Sonia Parekh, Asad Lalljee, Alessandro Simonetti Lustig

The Fame Game | 7.30pm – 8.30pm
Speakers – Karan Johar, Ali Fazal, Farah Khan, Sharvari Wagh, Manish Malhotra, Vedang Raina

15 Nov 2026

Women To Watch 2027: A Book Arts Revolution | 12.00pm – 1.00pm
Speakers – Indu Antony, Vidya Shivadas, Veeranganakumari Solanki, Minal Vazirani

What Is Art Made Of? | 2.00pm – 3.00pm
Speakers – Jayasri Burman, Karishma Swali, Sandeep Khosla, Kishore Singh

Memory, Ritual, Nature: Women Folk And Tribal Artists In India | 3.30pm – 4.30pm
Speakers – Dr. Preeti Bahadur Ramaswami, Anubhav Nath, Dr Savita Jha, Mayur Vayeda

KNMA Art Hours

As the Learning Partner of ART MUMBAI 2026, KNMA presents Art Hours to the fair through a series of interactive, hands-on workshops for children and adults. Led by experienced art educators, these sessions invite visitors to explore different art processes, experiment with materials and techniques, and create their own artworks to take home. Designed to make art engaging and accessible, the workshops offer visitors an opportunity to move beyond looking at art to actively participating in the creative process.

13 Nov 2026

Artist Workshop | Miniature Soft Sculptures | 3.00pm – 5.00pm

14 Nov 2026

Inclusive Workshop | Tactile Memories: Collage of Textures | 12.45pm – 2.15pm
Artist Workshop | Difference In Repetition | 3.00pm – 5.00pm

15 Nov 2026

Inclusive Workshop | Mismatch Mask: Self-Awareness & Identity | 12.45pm – 2.15pm
Artist Workshop | Colours Of Hands: Exploring Indian Sign Language | 3.00pm – 4.30pm