User:Bandana Jain/sandbox

Bandana Jain
Bandana Jain is a Mumbai-based award-winning contemporary artist and sustainability expert specialising in cardboard art for over 10 years.

In 2024, Jain showcased her work 'An Ode to Consumerism' (2021) at the prestigious Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2024 in Mumbai between January 21 - 25. In February, the contemporary artist also showcased her new set of artworks 'On Paper Of Paper' (O.P.O.P) at Apparao Art Gallery at India Design ID 2024 between February 15 - 18.

Artwork
Bandana's love for the concept of sustainability is evident in the choice of her unconventional medium of using cardboard to create art installations, sculptures and functional art. By compiling discarded boxes and giving them a new lease of life through up-cycling and the prism of art, she advocates that the wheels of time are turning again — and after the time periods of the Stone Age, Copper Age and Iron Age — once again heralding a new era for good and for bad. Bandana calls it 'The Brown Age'.

Fabricated Tales (2017)
In one of her earliest works ‘Fabricated Tales’, Bandana has used corrugated cardboard to recreate saris, sheets, cushion covers and mats in the form of sculptures while highlighting the need for sustainability. The series of artworks are inspired from her childhood that was spent in a large and palatial house in Thakurganj in Bihar where she saw the women of the house engage in embroidery together. Growing up, every girl was taught to embroider bedsheets and pillow covers with floral designs as it was a custom.

Some of the notable works in the series are:

Pocket of Equality: For this artwork, Bandana took inspiration from the historical instances that have tried to clearly define the framework of society that responds only to the needs and interests of powerful men. As the pocket was made only for men and their clothes as it was believed women didn't need a functional pocket. Through this artwork, the artist has captured the joyous moment in her life that symbolises the very first pocket she had in her school uniform.

‘Fabricated Tales’ was the turning point of her career. When she displayed it at India’s first curated luxury living show D/code at Four Seasons Hotel in Mumbai in 2017, it became a rage and an overnight success. After which, the awards and recognition started pouring in for her.

The Brown Age (2022)
After 'Fabricated Tales' (2019), Bandana Jain started working on the artworks for 'The Brown Age' during the Covid-19 pandemic. 'The Brown Age' is inspired by The Stone Age, The Copper Age and The Iron Age in civilisation. The artist notes that every age had artists using the defining elements of that time as a medium of their expression. In the current age, Bandana says people are consuming everything through boxes. The artworks also focus on the role of women in society today and address gender bias through the theme, which tries to remind the viewer that women were not only meant to raise children and perform household duties.

Using recycled carton to express herself, Jain showcased more than 20 artworks that focused on themes such as ecological concerns, as a part of this series at notable art galleries in Mumbai including Jehangir Art Gallery in Kala Ghoda, Mumbai’s art district.

Some of the most notable works in this series are:

Centre of Universe: Droplet: It depicts three themes - solo droplet of water, womb of a woman and a map of the world. While it showcases the need to protect Mother Earth, it also shows how the world of a woman changes with the unborn child, which becomes the centre of her universe, and the droplet indicates the nourishment of life through fluid.

Restoration of Humanity: It shows a figure in the feminine form encased in a scaffolding grid, depicting the repercussions of all the negativity around women including constantly being suppressed and being subject to domestic violence.

Diversity & Inclusion: The artwork focuses on the themes of self-affirmation, equal rights, sexual diversity and gender variance. This particularly reminds the viewer on the need to have diversity and inclusion in the workforce and create an environment that includes everybody.

An Ode to Consumerism (2021)
'An Ode to Consumerism' is among her more recent artworks that she worked on in 2023. For this series, she uses discarded cardboard as her medium to explore the concept of consumerism. It is also first time that she used colour in her artworks to explore her creative side. It includes artworks 'A Box of Bondage', 'Burdened with Vanity', 'Captive of Consumerism', 'A Prison of Plenty' and 'An Evolution of Consumerism'.

Untitled (2024)
The artist showcased the series of artworks inspired by 'Fabricated Tales' at the exhibition ‘On Paper Of Paper‘ (O.P.O.P) at the Apparao Art Gallery for the India Design ID festival in Delhi, from February 15 to 18, and received praise for her unique creations. The artworks and exhibition design was put together by Ankon Mitra. It was among Indian artist Gunjan Gupta's top picks from the festival. The artworks include 'Interwoven Destinies', 'Clustered Connections', 'Child's Play' and 'Dune'. Pushing the limits of her artistic capabilities, Jain has used thread with cardboard for the artworks.

Awards

 * Young Wade Sustainability Enthusiast 2018
 * ELLE DÉCOR International Design Awards 2018, India.
 * Good Homes Awards 2019, Editor’s Pick