Shanti Devi—Madhubani/Forest of Honey

15 - 30 October 2005 in the Hirschfeld Gallery

Folk wall painting from Bihar, India

As part of the Diwali Festival of Lights celebrations, Indian painter Shanti Devi will undertake a wall painting in the Michael Hirschfeld Gallery. Devi is an artist who practises in a style of art making known as Madhubani painting. ‘Madhubani’ translates as ‘forest of honey’ and Devi’s style of painting takes its name from the Madhubani region in northern India. Historically, Madhubani painting was practised by Hindu women, with paint directly applied to floors and walls of houses for religious and family celebrations. 

Artists like Shanti Devi have expanded on the subjects and techniques of traditional, ritualistic Madhubani wall painting to create diverse and vibrant new bodies of work. While continuing to paint religious subjects, contemporary Madhubani painters also use their work to reference recent events and everyday life. For her exhibition in the Michael Hirschfeld Gallery, Devi will be painting on to the gallery wall and holding workshops with local school students to teach them about this unique style of painting.

This exhibition is supported by the Asia New Zealand Foundation.