When we think of art forms and what constitutes art, the first thing to come to mind is painting. Be it painting on a canvas, or a bottle, or a ceiling, or a whole wall, and the likes. And after that do we think of sculpture, dance, singing, folk music and arts, and the likes. And overtime, there have been some conventional art forms that are more famous and are given more respect and stage by people.
And because of this, there are certain art forms that remain hidden and not talked about. Art is about creativity and expression, and these two can come in different ways.
And so here we mention 6 unconventional art forms that are now becoming famous.
An ancient craft that is now becoming trendy, thanks to some revivers and influencers, is Pottery. And while pottery has been around for thousands of years, to make everyday objects like pots, pans, vases, and more, it was never really regarded as an art form.
Pottery studios are now opening up around Delhi, and India, to give people a feel of what raw clay feels like on the hands, shaping and crafting their own miniature vases and pots, and people are enrolling in these workshops, terming them a form of therapy.
Gone are the days when Graffiti was just a form of vandalism, frowned upon by governments and people. Today, it has become an art form that people commission, paying huge sums of money for the perfect graffiti.
Take Delhi’s Lodhi Art district for example, where high walls to societies and apartments are covered with beauty in every inch, from decorated elephants to flowers that bloom even in off seasons. Graffiti has removed its unconventional tag in various ways.
Although papermaking was never really considered an art, but just a factory process that helped some people, today, it is a movement of sorts. All over social media, just as holidays and vacations start, people fetch out the old and unused papers, tear them up, soak them in water, make pulp out of it, and then strain them through a mesh to make recycled paper.
But the art does not end here. The real creativity comes when people adorn this paper with their elements. Some add dried flowers, others add colour, some stitch the papers together or even crochet them, and much more.
Sand art too is becoming a famous and talked about form of art for quite some time now. And while it cannot be preserved in the traditional sense, it leaves a sense of pride in the maker and awe in the audience and viewers.
People use sand to create sculptures on beaches, in bottles, in studios and galleries, and in glass as well. There are monuments made with sand, flowers, theme decorations, and much more.
Another ‘unconventional’ form of art that is now becoming famous is puppetry. Just like pottery, puppetry is also an ancient art form, but has now become more than just entertainment for little kids or the stories of women dancing around.
Today, puppeteers are blending traditional practice with animation, music, storytelling, and more, and are performing live issues of politics, society, entertainment, and much more.
A rather unconventional form of art, which very few people consider art even today, is Ventriloquism. It is basically being the voice of a puppet, or another character, and enacting it all in a way that nobody can guess who is speaking and who is not. Ventriloquists are one of the most unique performing arts people, and it takes a lot of skill and practice to speak without moving your lips.
For Indians, the art of Ventriloquism recently became famous when a ventriloquist named Rahul Mishra came to Premanand Maharaj’s darbar and delighted him with his skill.