Jodhaiya Bai Baiga (1938–2024; Umaria, Madhya Pradesh) was an artist whose distinctive visual language brought the knowledge systems, stories and ecological imagination of the Baiga community into contemporary art. Under the mentorship of artist Ashish Swami, founder of the Ashish Swami Centre for Arts, between 2008 and 2021, she developed a deeply personal practice rooted in memory, oral traditions and the rhythms of the natural world.

Working with vibrant colour and richly layered compositions, Jodhaiya Bai’s paintings drew from Baiga cosmology and the community’s intimate relationship with forests, wildlife and ancestral landscapes. Her works reflected a profound awareness of ecological interconnectedness while responding to changing environments and the gradual transformation of traditional ways of life.

Her work has been presented in exhibitions including Under the Mahua Tree at Alliance Française, Bhopal (2020), Bhumijan: Artists of the Earth (The Crites Collection, 2022), ROOTS: Art from the Tribal Heartland of India (The Crites Collection, 2024), Viral Gatha / Indiyart at Bikaner House, New Delhi (2024) and Chrysalism at Bikaner House, New Delhi (2025) and Bloom at Dusk, presented by Ojas Art and curated by Minhazz Majumdar (2026). Her international presentations include Outsider Art III at Claire Corcia Gallery, Paris (2019) and an exhibition at Galleria Francesco Zanuso, Milan (2019). Her work has also been presented at India Art Fair (2026) and Art Mumbai (2025).

Her paintings are held in collections including the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, The TIA Collection (USA), The Crites Collection, and the Madhya Pradesh Tribal Museum. Her practice has been documented in publications including Jodhaiya Bai Baiga: Bloom at Dusk (Ojas Art, 2026), Cornucopia: The Incandescent Energy of Indian Art (The Crites Collection, 2025), ROOTS: Art from the Tribal Heartland of India (The Crites Collection, 2024) and Bhumijan: Artists of the Earth (The Crites Collection, 2022).

In recognition of her contribution to Indian art and culture, Jodhaiya Bai received the Nari Shakti National Award from the Government of India in 2021 and the Padma Shri in 2023. Her practice demonstrates how Baiga visual traditions, ecological knowledge and lived experience continue to generate new forms of artistic expression.