New Delhi, March 6 Artworks by tribal artists, who have come from remote villages and forest areas to participate in the Tribes Art Fest 2026 in New Delhi, have received an overwhelming response, fetching nearly Rs 30 lakh in the first four days, officials said on Friday.
The exhibition, which began on March 3, will remain open to the public until March 13, said Ranjana Chopra, Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
“The exhibition has already recorded the sale of artworks worth nearly Rs 30 lakh. Several paintings displayed at the event are also receiving demand from countries such as Australia, Canada, Germany, and Switzerland,"Chopra said.
A total of 73 artists, including over 45 women, are participating in the event, as the government aims to provide a larger platform to these artists and connect their work with international markets, the officials said.
Citing instances of some of the promising artists, they said that 50-year-old Putli Ganju from Hazaribagh in Jharkhand, who is known for her traditional Sohrai art, has displayed her paintings in the event. She earlier exhibited her artwork abroad and is gradually gaining recognition among art lovers in European countries.
“Similarly, Santoshi Shyam (32) from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh is a Gond art artist. Earlier, Santoshi used natural colors and painted entirely by hand, but she has now begun using acrylic paints and brushes to present Gond art in a modern style,” a senior official said.
“One of her paintings is priced at around Rs 1,20,000, and her work is in demand in countries such as Australia and France,” he said.
Highlighting the most expensive painting at the exhibition, which has been priced at Rs 15 lakh, officials said that it has been created by Ravi Kumar Tekam, an artist from Madhya Pradesh.
“The Gond art painting, titled Triyaphool, took him nearly two-and-a-half to three months to complete,” an official from the Tribal Affair Ministry said.
“Forty-year-old Ravi has been a Gond artist for the past 30 years. He shared that one of his earlier paintings was purchased by the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Department for Rs 25 lakh. That artwork depicts a dramatic scene of a lion and a wild boar fighting in the forest,” she added.
Appreciating the government’s initiative to hold such events, many artists said that tribal art, which was once confined to villages and forests, is now reaching major art galleries in global cities and paintings created by tribal artists are now finding admirers abroad.
The exhibition at Travancore Palace in Delhi features artists from 16 states and showcases more than 30 forms of tribal art. These include traditional styles such as Warli, Gond, Bhil, Dhokra, Sohrai, Koya, Kurumba, Saura, Bodo, Oraon, Mandana, and Godna, along with bamboo craft from Northeast India.
“The government believes that events like these are helping tribal art gain national and international recognition. They are also opening new opportunities, larger markets, and sustainable livelihoods for tribal artists,” officials said.
“Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, such initiatives are being promoted to give India’s traditional art forms a global platform,” they added.
Art enthusiasts in Delhi can visit the exhibition until March 13 and view more than 1,000 artworks by 73 artists at one venue.