Jivya Soma Mashe India

Jivya Soma Mashe has transformed the ritual art of the Warli people into a relevant contemporary expression that elaborates their original vision on the rapport between nature and culture. The Warli philosophy embodied in Mashe's paintings emphasises the interconnectedness of human beings and nature. Jivya Soma Mashe is honoured for his creative reinvention of an art vocabulary that was disappearing, for his vivid representation of the Warli vision of nature and culture in equilibrium, for highlighting the contemporary relevance of local forms of knowledge, and for his significant contribution to the culture and development of the tribal peoples.

2009 Awards Book here.