Artist's Statement

Kondagaon is a known as art village in Bsatar.Lostwax dhokra art is the main lifeline of this village.Mr Jaidev baghel famous sculptor is practising and teaching his own ghadawaa technic to the art lovers.

in this connection i started learning dhokra art from this village artisan. Now my works can be today appreciated all over the world directly and through top art galleries and designers from all four metros of this country. I spend hours interacting with top art galleries, designers, Page 3 people giving and taking feedback, which has helped me become a national artist who has now gained footage in the international arena. My work was recently very much appreciated by famous artist M. F. Hussain on his last visit to Satguru’s and well known designer Jogi panghaal and monalisa .

I, Sushil Sakhuja, a self made artist, working in Tribal area with tribal people with traditional art master Mr Shobha Ram Sagar. He is the main Guru who teaching lostwax arts with traditional technic to me.

But for me “Art is more of Passion than Business”. I have made bronze my medium. Bastar Art is gets its name from the tribal village of Bastaar. Recently I received the recognition in the various world sculptors international workshops.

Coming from a transport business family, it was not easy to deviate in to this world of art, where financial security was not guaranteed at that stage. For the family it was like leaving home and going to the woods. Many a times, as in life, “seeming mistakes” prove to be breakthroughs.

My inspiration came from the tribal and their activities around me whom I made the subject matter. Today, I eat, drink, sit and work with Tribal and Tribal sculptures. I just convey what I see and feel and rest is of course is history.

My motivation and subject matter evolve intuitively as I sculpt. The final art comes forth from the realms within which I guess are responses to my myriad surroundings, past, present and future. I prefer to leave a certain element of surprise or mystery, not fill in all the blanks or complete the sculpture, thereby engaging the viewer’s imagination and allowing them to get involved in the process. 

Emotions get involved into the work to such an extent that sometimes it becomes difficult to part with my creations. But one has to keep o growing creating better than the best. 

Today when I work, I work more for my brethren and the people of Bastar. My aim is to put Bastar art on the world map for its sculpture pieces. Bastar has given me so much that   today it has become a moral as well as a social responsibility to see that lot of the people are improved.

I am an artist with a difference, who moves from one tribal house to another, giving the tribal art ideas, inputs and their quota of work, creating out new master pieces from time to time, thus becoming a medium of interaction between the urban and tribal art community, thereby being successful in creating a market for my art. 

I have always expressed myself artistically. Whether sculpting, singing, playing the tendor, designing artifacts, doing up peoples interiors or just being crafty. It is a soul ex-pression for me and am blessed that my work speaks to others at their own level. I am grateful to be able to share my offerings with the universe.

I want to be a futurist for Bastar to-day. Today, I personally, feel “Thinking in the future tense is a mandatory skill in today’s fast forward world. Today I have already planned for Bastar for the next few years