Bhuri Bai is an internationally renowned Bhil tribal artist. Her work has been displayed in the galleries and museums of Europe, Australia and America and has been sold at Sotheby’s. In 1999 she was part of the presidential delegation to Australia, where she participated in a workshop between Australian aboriginals and tribal Indian artists. Bhuri Bai has been painting since early childhood. As usual in tribal communities when someone was found to be naturally gifted, the whole community utilized that talent. As Bhuri Bai’s finesse in drawing figures and motifs became recognized, invitations to paint in different houses of her maternal village helped her to refine her skill. Bhuri Bai’s paintings with their bright and lustrous colors depict animal, plant, and human life in keeping with the mythological narration and activities of the Bhil tribe. She gives life to her animal forms by creating serpentine flows of dots; zigzagging, meandering. In addition to traditional Bhil ritualistic motifs, Bhuri Bai occasionally draws symbols of industrial life such as airplanes, cars and buses. These are drawn in such a way that they give the impression of toy-like figures, further showing the pristine imagination of a tribal mind.
