Pune based Lippan Artist Gita Dhupar brings the Rural Indian Art form to Modern Interiors

Team Buzzingg July 18, 2016 Murals 9,876 Views

Lippan art work is the traditional artwork of the desert region of Rajasthan and Gujrat. ‘Lippan’ means to apply. Beautiful designs using camels, birds, trees, flowers, peacocks and other nature inspired motifs are created on the wall of homes using mud, thread and mirrors. Deities and symbols that bring prosperity and peace to homes are creatively designed in this art form.

Gita’s brush with Lippan art

All the glitter and the shimmer of the mirrors embedded in the mud mural which hung on the wall of a friend’s modern house in Malaysia in the year 2002 captivated Gita’s senses completely. She immediately approached her friend and got to know that this art form could be learnt in India and that’s how her journey with Lippan art began. Having gotten the opportunity, she flew down to Delhi to learn this art form. Since then she has been conducting workshops and also making wall murals for gifting and exhibiting.

Gita's Lippan art work in progress — Gita’s Lippan art work in progress

Gita exhibiting her marvellous artwork — Gita exhibiting her final artwork decorated with mirrors

Mirrors on Lippan art glitter and glimmer with change in light. Colours used in this art form is very earthy. Dull orange, ochre, deep browns, olive greens. Traditional lime wash is used to finish this art. Gita has also weaved in warli and madhubani motifs into the Lippan murals and hence found fusion of the three art forms. This, she feels, has been simply exciting and amazing experience for her. This art allows one to feel earth in their hands. This whole journey of working with simple materials is therapeutic.

Gita's student fusing Lippan art with warli art — Gita’s student fusing Lippan art with warli art

Lippan artwork - Mirrors glitter and glimmer — Lippan artwork – Mirrors glitter and glimmer

Gita regularly conducts workshops on Lippan art in cafes like Café 2s and 4s, Mindful Health, Jackfruit Tree, Circle of Life and many more community spaces. She also regularly exhibits her artwork in community spaces in and around her area. As she is an avid traveler, she also conducts these workshop in small scales where she goes and spreads the joy of healing through earth.

Gita's Lippan Art Workshop at Cafe 2s and 4s — Gita’s Workshop at Cafe 2s and 4s

This simple play of mud and mirrors made me realize there is an artist in all of us – Participant

Gita's Lippan Art Workshop Participant — Gita’s Lippan Art Workshop Participant

It’s so beautiful to decorate our houses with such natural art…It’s such a joy!! – Participant

Gita's Lippan Art Workshop — Gita’s Lippan Art Workshop

My eight-year-old son and me love to create things together. We thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful activity

19 workshops conducted and ~200 students trained so far

Children with their mothers enjoy wetting their hands in the aromatic dirt playfully, veterans gracefully lay their hands on the panels and love to meditate in the process of bringing their imagination to an earthy art form. For me I feel it is triple bonus, we create murals together, do sharing and bond in community and build business opportunities too.

Foray into commercial projects

Gita and her team of 5 Lippan artists have recently started executing commercial projects. Her team works in different groups to complete and deliver orders of Lippan murals for commercial and home spaces. They happily visit client’s interiors and provide consultation for creating rural Lippan walls in work, home, bungalow or garden spaces.

Gita's core team member working on a Lippan Art project — Gita’s core team member working on one major part of a set of murals for a custom Lippan Art project

One of Gita's Lippan Art project interiors — The set of murals of the custom Lippan Art project

It makes me happy to share new things that I learn with people around me. Simple things done together in groups creates such harmony – Gita

Gita can be contacted through her email – jagdevgita@gmail.com

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