The 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT10) Catalogue

Artists The 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art 166 Dhartari: The creation of the world (details) 2021 Water-based colour and cow dung on cloth / 18 parts: 148 x 3162cm (overall) / Commissioned for APT10. Purchased 2021 with funds from Ashby Utting Foundation through the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation / Collection: The Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art ‘Dhartari: The creation of the world’ is one of the old myths and part of Warli folklore. Warli beliefs are mainly connected with nature. We believe we came from one source of energy from the universe. This folklore is about the creation and recreation of the universe and dhartari (the Earth). First, in the deep darkness, Mahadeva and Ganga-Gauri created themselves as the main source of energy, after which they created the universe. To create a better place, they created some other gods from the same energy source. These included the gods of thunder (Vijesar), clouds (Dhagesar), Sun (Suresar) and Moon (Chandesar). They gave them each different responsibilities and kingdoms to rule. However, the new gods betrayed and disobeyed Mahadeva’s orders, and so Mahadeva destroyed all their kingdoms. Mahedeva then decided to recreate the universe, but this time with the Earth. Mahadeva and Ganga-Gauri created the Earth with the help of different gods and goddesses and, to give birth to the planet, Ganga- Gauri spread all the seeds of the different lifeforms. Finally, in the end, they created humans. However, they had only created birth on the dhartari . There was no death. Creatures started growing and growing and dhartari started feeling the weight of all the lifeforms’ energies on her. She requested Mahadeva and Ganga-Gauri come up with a solution. Mahadeva then created death to create the cycle of life — in order to keep balance on Earth. It wasn’t enough! So Mahadeva decided to create mahapralay (the flood) on dharthari to destroy what had been created, and for this he chose man, with the name ‘Pandu’. Mahadeva and Ganga-Gauri gave Pandu a seed of a water gourd (called taru in this story). They gave him instructions to grow taru for 100 years, and after 100 years Mahadeva began the mahapralay to destroy life on the Earth. Pandu made a ship from taru and lived inside for several years with pairs of all the creatures and seeds from Earth. All the other creatures died in the water, but when the taru finally touched land, life started again on the planet. Disappearing spirits and childhood memories 2021 explores all the spirits of the Warli tribe. Warli strongly believe in the existence of spirits around them in many forms, and each place around the village has a different spirit. The village, the rice fields, the village-god temple, the jungle and the rivers each have a variety of spirits — and each of them has a specific character. Some spirits are also important parts of traditional rituals and prayers: we pray to them to protect the fields, and to protect family. These spirits include ghosts as well, and some people say they have directly encountered some of the spirits. Most people believe these spirits live in trees, and we personally have many childhood memories of them. In the past 10–15 years the speed of development has seen so many changes, and through this development, many spiritual places have disappeared. Many trees, which are the homes of these spirits, have been cut down. People are slowly forgetting these spirits. So, we are giving forms to these spirits from our childhood memories and imagination, as well as from listening to the stories of Elders in the village. We aim to explore such places and bring their stories back. Mayur and Tushar Vayeda Mayur and Tushar Vayeda are brothers who proudly belong to the indigenous Warli people of Ganjad, Maharashtra, India. They learnt the ancient practices of Warli painting from a young age through family members, and gave up other career prospects to explore, document and share their culture. They seek to explore new possibilities for the historically coded tradition of Warli art — to ‘move Warli tradition forward, without diluting its essence’ — while maintaining cultural protocols and being aware of its vulnerabilities today. For APT10, the Vayeda brothers’ recent painting projects document Warli narratives on an unprecedented scale and level of detail, translating it for new contexts and social conditions. In two series — Dhartari: The creation of the world 2021 and Disappearing spirits and childhood memories 2021 — they seek to share some of these important historical narratives and explain them in their own way. Tarun Nagesh Mayur Vayeda Warli people Born 1992, Ganjad, Maharashtra, India Lives and works in Ganjad Tushar Vayeda Warli people Born 1987, Ganjad, Maharashtra, India Lives and works in Ganjad