REIMAGINING INDIGENOUS VISUAL LANGUAGES: A SEMIOTIC STUDY OF TRIBAL, FOLK, AND CONTEMPORARY ART PRACTICES IN ODISHA

Abstract

Indigenous visual languages embody the cultural memory, ecological knowledge, spiritual beliefs, and social identity of communities. In Odisha, tribal and folk art traditions have evolved over centuries as symbolic systems that communicate narratives beyond written language. However, globalization, commercialization, urbanization, and digital technologies have transformed these visual traditions, resulting in new hybrid forms of artistic expression. This research article employs a semiotic framework to examine how indigenous visual languages are being reimagined through tribal, folk, and contemporary art practices in Odisha. Drawing upon the theories of Ferdinand de Saussure, Charles Sanders Peirce, Roland Barthes, and indigenous visual epistemologies, the study analyzes the symbolic structures embedded within Saura paintings, Dongria Kondh motifs, Pattachitra, and contemporary artworks by Odia artists. The paper argues that indigenous visual languages are not static cultural artifacts but dynamic systems of meaning that negotiate tradition, identity, sustainability, and modernity. Through qualitative visual analysis, the study demonstrates how contemporary artists reinterpret traditional symbols while preserving cultural memory, thereby creating new visual narratives that address ecological consciousness, gender, migration, and indigenous rights.