What happens when you bring together works of some of the best contemporary women artists? You get a taste of their oeuvre — their eclectic techniques and expressions. Hyderabad art gallery Kalakriti’s ongoing virtual exhibition ‘Women in Contemporary Indian Art’ is a hat tip to artists Anjani Reddy, Anju Dodiya, Jayasri Burman, Nilima Sheikh, Poushali Das, P S Jalaja, Reena Saini Kallat, Rekha Rodwittiya, Seema Kohli, Soghra Khurasani and Sujata Bajaj.
On showcase are some critically acclaimed, widely travelled artworks — such as Anju Dodiya’s ‘Cloud Hunter’, a feminine expression using acrylic on a mattress, and Soghra Khurasani’s meticulous ‘Silent Fields’ with red blossoms, a woodcut print on paper. Soghra uses the colour of passion, red, to discuss a range of issues including violence against women.
Rekha Lahoti of Kalakriti art gallery says the exhibition is an attempt to celebrate women artists by offering viewers a glimpse into some of their best works: “A few artists like Seema Kohli and Jayasri Burman shared their recent works with us and some of the paintings are iconic works of women artists that have been showcased at international museums.”
Silent Fields by Soghra Khurasani
Hyderabad artist Anjani Reddy’s small format series of portraits depicts women with warmth, as they juggle multiple roles in their daily lives. Jayasri Burman’s works bear her signature imagery of hybrid female-bird forms in bright-hued natural settings. Rekha Rodwittiya also holds forth on celebrating the spirit of women.
Poushali’s Das renders a dream-like quality to her paintings ‘Magic Blue: Moonlight in a forest’, ‘Saptarishi’ and ‘I keep gazing on’ using a medley of luxurious blue and green tones. Known to experiment with techniques, she skilfully brings alive subtle mythological influences using ink on gauche paper or layers of tempera paints on muga silk fabric.
Anju Dodiya’s Cloud Hunter
In P S Jalaja’s painting, a tug of war becomes symbolic of socio-political struggles. She paints several pint-sized human figures deftly, using watercolours.
Seema Kohli’s paintings are populated with myriad feminine forms that soar in a fantasy-like world. These acrylic and ink on canvas works with a touch of 24-karat gold and silver are ideally viewed in high-resolution to be able to appreciate the intricacies and radiance in her work. Talking of radiance, Sujata Bajaj’s ‘Chakrapani’ is a luminescent one with flaming oranges and yellows, with its roots in mythology.
(‘Women in Contemporary Art’ can be viewed at www.kalakritiartgallery.com)
