Art on mask

As the pandemic continues, traditional handlooms and handicrafts are manifesting into masks, making art wearable

Bindu Gopal Rao

The women of Ranti village in Bihar, known to be a cluster for Madhubani art, have been painting masks as an art outlet since the pandemic started. “Most artists started painting on masks as all fairs and exhibitions had been cancelled due to the lockdown. Since many of them, particularly women, were dependent on art for their livelihood, they gave an outlet to their creativity on the masks,” says Madhubani artist Mahalaxmi.

The national association of craftspeople, Dastkari Haat Samiti, has launched a mask catalogue with masks that reflect varied art forms. This includes Madhubani masks by Remant Kumar Mishra, Pattachitra masks by Apindra Swain, Gamcha masks by Rangila Dhaga, Kalamkari masks by Ramji Devraj and Kantha embroidery masks by Rajesh Roy among others, all well-known artists. “Our artisans bring heartwarming embellishments to a mundane mask and make every face an ornament,” says Jaya Jaitly, founder of the Dastkari Haat Samiti. Masks as a canvas for local arts and crafts has given the craftpersons a platform to be relevant in the face of adversity. The ageless art of Ajrak traditional block prints are being used to create these masks in hues of red, mustard, black and blue.

Masks have become the latest canvas for traditional fabrics and crafts. While initially some women’s groups started making masks, a lot of artisans across the country later joined in and started making masks using hand-woven and other crafted textiles.

“Lovitoli from Nagaland tried her hands at making masks initially for herself. She used cotton fabric woven on her traditional loin loom of Nagaland to make strong and durable masks. Similarly, Tarali Das from Assam has used Muga silk, also known as golden fibre, to create beautiful masks,” says Sharda Gautam, head of Crafts, Tata Trusts. Promoting naturally dyed fabric, textile label Shrivatsa has been working with what they call ‘wellness fabrics’ that are eco-friendly and sustainable. Using ayurvedic principles, the system of ‘Nasya’ is applied here. “Organic cotton yarn is dyed in an herb dye bath of 108 herbs, after which these are woven to create the fabric we use in apparel and our masks. It is the dye bath where the properties are absorbed into the fabric. We boil the barks of indigo, red sandalwood, aloe vera, neem and tulsi and combine these with pure handloom fabrics to create the masks. Our next batch has handloom checks or either side with the middle layer of aloe vera,” says Shaswaty Nair, founder Shrivatsa. Brands like Ethnicity have been making masks using traditional Ikat and block print fabrics while Bengaluru-based luxury bridal courtier brands like Limited Edition have introduced Veil, masks handcrafted by artisans left unemployed by artisans.