Masters of Soil

A book for the Prominority exhibition, “Masters of Soil”, supported by the Japan Foundation. The second annual exhibition of the Creative Platform Series where five artists were invited from Japan. They created artworks in residence at the ethnic minority village (Santal village) situated in the vicinity of Shantiniketan in West Bengal. One of the members, Mr. Sohei Iwata had lived in this village since 2008, and based on his interactions with the villagers, he had produced various artworks necessary for the village. Enchanted with the scenic beauty of the village and its inhabitants, he ended up living there spanning approximately three years. While experiencing their indigenous culture he continually contributed to their society as an artist. This exhibition presents a partial collection of the artworks created by Japanese artists coming from various backgrounds including sculptors, musicians, photographers, programmers etc., who empathized with the process and gathered in this village to create artworks which were further based on their experience of stay in the village. This exhibition offers an opportunity to share with visitors a single facet of the diverse Indian culture as captured from the viewpoint of a Japanese artist.