Lakshmi Gademane

Lakshmi Gademane or Lakshmamma, as she is fondly called among art afficianados, has been a practitioner of the ancient art pf painting called Chittara from Karnataka.

A Malnad tribal who learnt the art from her mother, Lakshmamma has now dedicated herself to the art.

Chittara drawings are intricate patterns, that represent the auspicious ceremony and rituals of life, symbolized in geometric patterns. This requires a certain understanding of ratios and proportions, which the women of the community have been using with great dexterity. This folk art was and still is a part of their day-to-day life. It was never a profession, but a practice that has artistic and socio-cultural value.