coca colas 2010 diwali commercial will remain an unlikely landmark for indian tribal art for a long time to come it was the most stunning example of popular culture incorporating elements of tribal art the long neglected other art of the country with the snazzy number jaata kahan hai deewaney as the backdrop the commercial showed skeletal figures drawn on the soft drink bottle breaking off into a jig these are the same signature figures the warli tribesmen of maharashtra paint on their mudplastered walls and on paperthat may have been a oneoff tribute to warli art but the so far ignored tribal art of india is on the verge of finding its spot under the sun unmistakable tectonic shifts are taking place in its earthy precincts though it still has a long way to go to reach the aha levels of urban contemporary art it has at least found a foot in the doorto begin with a tribal art work by the late and also the most celebrated gond artist jangarh singh shyam was given the same platform as that accorded to the works of husain or raza at a sothebys auction in london in march 2010 it was picked up for rs 64 lakh double its highest preauction estimate then the past two years have seen the opening up of two private art galleries dedicated to tribal art meena vermas arts of the earth and tulika kedias must art both of which are located in lado sarai delhi now the india art fair that will be held at delhi in january next year will see participation by the parisbased galerie herve perdriolle which is dedicated to indian tribal art thats a first for the fouryearold fairyes indian tribal art is on the brink of the recognition that it deserves says jyotindra jain professor at jnu he was the first to curate an exhibition of folktribal art titled the other masters at the crafts museum 13 years ago when he was the director there the show had emphasised on individual identity within the collective tradition of the art forms with the entry of folk tribal art in contemporary spaces the notion of signature has emerged which has made galleries and auctions dedicated to it viable says jainlargely identified by the name of the tribe or place where it is practised tribalfolk art now boasts of signatures that come with price tags while jangarh shyam remains the most famous gond signature jivya soma mashe is his equivalent in the warli world the two of them may still be on the periphery of being art celebs in their own country but are routinely feted in art capitals of the west they were both exhibited in the prestigious magicians of the earth exhibition curated by jean hubert martin at centre pompidou paris in 1989ive always believed that when urban contemporary artists would have achieved a substantial price then there would be space for rural contemporary artists