New Delhi: Imagine if India and Italy were neighbours, with a river running through them. That’s what ‘Yamuna River: Liquid Love’ looks like, a fascinating artwork consisting of acrylic colours on fabric by Italian artist Tarshito N Stippoli in collaboration with Bhopal-based Gond artist Kaushel Prasad. Another of his works, ‘Holy Geographic Tree’, depicts a partial black and white map of the world cut in the shape of a tree.
This is a visual imagination of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, Stippoli’s solo exhibition, which after being displayed at the Bihar Museum last December, has now travelled to New Delhi’s National Crafts Museum. Stippoli has collaborated with over 25 traditional Indian artists to create map artworks, which explore the physical and cultural geography that he encountered while travelling across the globe. He began redrawing the world based on knowledge from ancient traditions, sans boundaries to highlight the importance of connection beyond time and place.
According to Stippoli, the concept of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ is the concept of unity. “I travel to many parts of the world – from South America to North Africa and Asia – just to seek the roots of all cultures. I think culture is one, culture is spirituality. Recognising one’s divinity is the root of all. We may have different skin colours or habits, but I think we are one,” he said.
It was during a visit to Stippoli’s studio in Italy’s Bari a few years ago that Tunty Chauhan, director, Threshold Art Gallery, realised the enormity of his practice. It was then that she instantly decided to dive deep and step in as a curator to edit and showcase this collection of historical importance. “Tarshito has been working passionately with folk artists to create a highly conceptual vocabulary…so distinct and comes from a deep respect and understanding of India’s cultural and philosophical roots. Over the last four decades, his behemoth engagement has carved a contemporary space for artisanal craft traditions within Indian modernity on an unparalleled scale,” she said.
The scale of the work was beyond a gallery, which is why she chose to present it in museums. The exhibition will travel to other parts of the country and overseas, added Chauhan.
Stippoli’s previous work, such as the Borderless Map series and the Warrior of Love assemblages, follow a similar theme. His task, he said, is to redesign the world to reflect his needs—to live in a world without borders. “So, a piece of India becomes Italy and then Brazil. It is a new world where all cultures mix to have unity,” he said.
It’s not just the geography, but also the biodiversity of this new world that Stippoli reimagines. In this land, he said, sacred animals live. He imagines tigers with very long tails that write wonderful words in the sky, turtles carrying not only their homes but also the house of the divine, elephants carrying temples on their backs, the tails of birds as the bearers of good news and trees with fruits that take the shape of bells and vessels. “In this new land, there is a new humanity made of warriors who have weapons of their own quality, for example, the quality of a smile or the intensity of an embrace. Each of us can be a ‘warrior of love’ armed with his or her own beauty and quality,” Stippoli said.
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The man and his masters
As an architect, artist, sculptor, gallerist, teacher and performer, Stippoli juggles many roles. Since 1979, he has worked with folk and indigenous artists from over 30 traditions in the subcontinent—from terracotta to iron works, Warli and Sohrai traditions to embroideries from Gujarat and Rajasthan, the delicate miniatures of Bikaner to the flamboyant devotional paintings of Orissa. In India, he was enchanted by how several artistic techniques are connected by the common feeling of celebrating important moments in life, including honouring nature and gods. “Tarshito is an inclusive artistic genius. It is such a delight to see the masterful collaborations between Indian artists and him across our rich and vibrant arts and crafts,” said curator and writer Minhazz Majumdar.
His first major exhibition in the country was also at the National Crafts Museum, more than two decades ago. That was when he saw, for the first time, various types of works from India, from painting to sculpture to design and architecture. For years he continued to work exclusively with Indians, applying various techniques across different states, with tribes and in remote places. Over time, he began looking at other places in the world, such as Morocco, China, Brazil, Mexico and wherever he could meet people who used different art techniques, symbolisms and rituals. “While working in different countries, I discovered that there is a common root in traditional works, a similar rituality and a sympathy for attitudes that give me the sense of unity,” he said.
With a degree in architecture, Stippoli has created paintings, sculptures, installations, jewellery, carpets and tapestries. “Inspiration is something magical and mysterious. Creativity has all the possibilities of expression. The connection with the divine and mystery gives me the possibility to design a jewel or a city, to paint a painting or to write a text” he said.
Born Nicola Strippoli in 1952 in Apulia, Stippoli graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Florence with a thesis in street theatre. Immediately after, in 1979, he embarked on a journey by ship to Greece and crossed Turkey, Persia, Afghanistan and Pakistan to arrive in India. During his six-month-long stay in the country, he visited many sacred places and fell in love with the Osho Ashram in Pune. Here, he met his teacher, Osho, who entrusted him with the name of Tarshito, meaning ‘thirst for inner knowledge’. “Meeting with spiritual teachers is always very fruitful. During a conference, Osho said, ‘…. I don’t see why there should be so many tracks on geographical maps, the world has not been created divided into borders. Man is divided because the world is divided because man is divided. One earth, one humanity……’,” he said.
This opened up Stippoli’s vision and he began to paint and draw different worlds without borders. “An infinite artistic way, such a universal concept, is not only appreciated by tribals from various places in the world but also by intellectuals, museum directors or directors of cultural institutions. We all aspire for union and freedom. This concept expressed by Osho became my art,” he said. Stippoli is also influenced by Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh, who gave him a different artistic vision. “It is clear that spiritual masters are a very direct and very fast bridge that combines matter and spirit so that through them, images and concepts arrive quickly,” he added.
At Osho Ashram, Stippoli participated in various meditation groups, which led to what he calls his “new birth”. He brought it back with him to Italy and began his work as an architect. His practice was expanded by his knowledge of meditation through Osho’s teachings. More than four decades later, Tarshito continues to use meditation as a method of investigation and design.
“In a world torn by strife and borders, Tarshito stands like a colossus, whose vision matches his ambition to celebrate brotherhood through artistic collaborations. His practice is a testament to cross-cultural exchange, moving beyond the traditional vs. modern binary, a celebration of common humanity, and a deep respect for India’s cultural heritage, shaping his art and life profoundly,” said Chauhan.
Stippoli has just completed a project on the concept of nomadism called The Camp of Wayfarers in Love. It consists of a camp of 23 tents painted partly by him and his team in Italy. Its other part was completed by traditional artists from nine countries around the world, including India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mongolia, China and Thailand. Its first exhibition will be in Mongolia, the land par excellence of nomadism.
“Tarshito stands out, without doubt, as one of the most important Western artists who have collaborated with Indian folk and tribal artists and artisans over the last fifty years,” said American art historian Mitchell Crites. He added that the extraordinary works on canvas and cloth are highly original and that they display the creative vision of Tarshito combined with the innate ‘wall power’ that Indian indigenous artists possess.
“What is also very touching is the trust that these gifted and innocent artists place in Tarshito who works with them in a sensitive and respectful manner which is rarely seen,” he said.
‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ will continue at the National Crafts Museum, New Delhi until 15 April 2024.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)