ARTISANS'

Join us for a workshop with a Master! Drawing Lines: Mithila Painting with Santosh Kumar Das

SUNDAY JANUARY 11th 2026: 2.00 - 5.00 PM
Link in Bio

Join artist Santosh Kumar Das for a unique insight into Mithila painting from Madhubani, Bihar. Unlike other Madhubani artists, Das trained in both Indian and Western art traditions. Born in 1962, he graduated in English from Darbhanga, and gained a Bachelor of Fine Art at M.S.U, Baroda in 1990.

The roots of Mithla art are deep. Women of the Brahman, Dusadh, and Kayasth communities illustrate epics and folktales, along with everyday life, as they decorate the walls and floors of their homes to celebrate birth, marriage, and religious festival

In the 1960’s, the genre grew in popularity as drought relief efforts brought new opportunities for livelihood and patronage into the area. By 2003 Das served as Director of The Ethnic Arts Foundation’s Mithila Art Institute, where students responded to contemporary issues, empowering themselves through art.

In 2017, ARTISANS’ launched Das’ autobiographical book, Black, published by Tara Books. Lauded in India and abroad, Das’ works can be found in museum and institutional collections, including Sarmaya Arts Foundation, the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in India; and the Oberlin Museum, the Ethnic Art Foundation, and the Art Institute of Chicago, in the USA.

Limited to 12 people. All ages 10+
Location: ARTISANS’ Gallery

Santosh Kumar Das’s inherited the Mithila painting style of Madhubani, Bihar. However unlike other Madhubani artists, Das trained in both Indian and Western art traditions. Born in 1962, he graduated in English from Darbhanga, and gained a Bachelor of Fine Art at M.S.U, Baroda in 1990.

By 2003 Das served as Director of The Ethnic Arts Foundation’s Mithila Art Institute, where students, empowered through art, responded to contemporary issues.

Becoming UnBecoming you into a space of imaginative becoming, where materiality, memory, and the metaphysical continually shape and reshape one another.

In 2017, ARTISANS’ launched Das’ landmark autobiographical book, Black, published by Tara Books. Lauded in India and abroad, Das’ works can be found in museum and institutional collections.

Becoming UnBecoming: Santosh Kumar Das
8th January, 2026 | 6-9 pm

Das’s childhood unfolded amid fairs, films, fables, and fantasies. During festivals, he spent countless hours mesmerised by artisans who animated clay, transforming inert matter into deities whose presence felt transcendent and alive. Reflecting on this formative experience, Das recalls:

“I wondered what my world would be if I were to turn into one of those idols… I think, deep down, I was unconsciously initiated into a mystical way of seeing, being, and becoming. To become is un-Becoming.”

Nafiis : Rare

These truly are! Each one, hand-picked, dating 1880s to 1940s! If you love original tribal rugs like I do, don’t miss this!