Japani Shyam
Japani Shyam is the daughter and first-born of renowned Gond artist Jangarh Singh Shyam. Named after her late father’s first trip to Japan, during which time she was born, Japani started painting at a very young age, and won the Kamala Devi award when she was eleven years old. Just like her father, Japani also narrates stories from nature in her art, though in a distinct style of her own.
After her father’s untimely passing when she was just 13, Japani took it upon herself to further Jangarh’s artistic legacy, and using the paints and brushes that her father had given her, she created her own vibrant, mystical world of Gond art. Her evocative artworks are beautiful depictions of birds, animals and nature, as well as Gond folklore and traditions.
An acclaimed artist in her own right, Japani Shyam’s artworks have been displayed internationally, and her first solo exhibition opened at Gallerie Ganesha in New Delhi, in 2019. Japani’s mother, Nankusia Bai, and brother, Mayank Shyam, are also acclaimed Gond artists.