Trees work all day for human beings and at night they bring the good spirits to life. For the Gond, one of India‘s indigenous tribes, the tree stands at the center of life, for they have traditionally lived in the forest. Through pictures by Bhajju Shyam, Durga Bai and Ram Singh Urveti, all members of the Gond, a marvelous and ornate, but also threatened world unfolds before our eyes; a world filled with stories and secrets.

The artists

Bhajju Shyam (*1971) was selected in 2001 as India's best artist of the year. His works have been exhibited in India and Europe. Durga Bai (*1974) was born in in the village of Mandla in Madhya Pradesh. She is an innovative Gond artist whose work is distinguished by its highly personal style and for which she has already received several prizes. Ram Singh Urveti (*1970) is greatly admired by other Gond artists. It is his work in particular that has brought the life and the myths of the Gond to the world's attention. He too has been awarded many prizes.