<p>For centuries, art in India has celebrated femininity in all its forms: the fierce weapon-wielding demon-slaying Goddess, the sensuous full-bodied object of desire and even the ordinary village woman going about her daily chores. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Now, a group art exhibition by 29 odd contemporary artists is commenting on womanhood in its more modern avatar. A model striking an intense pose, a housewife looking out of her window into the void, a rag-tag street woman suckling her infant – the artists have poured out their thoughts on what a woman, today, means to them, making for an interesting and thoughtful display.<br /><br />The host, Art Konsult Gallery in Lado Sarai, focuses on contemporary art and launches at least a couple of new and young artists with every show. This exhibition, <br />titled ‘She,’ also comprises mostly contemporary artists with some select old artworks included for a curated effect. In a follow-up of Mother’s Day celebrations, it will go on <br />till June 7.<br /><br />Curator of the exhibition, Neelam Malhotra, explains to Metrolife, “Indian art has seen some resplendent examples <br />of portrayal of woman. Take for example, Raja Ravi Varma’s half-divine half-human feminine figures evocatively draped in saris, Jamini Roy’s Bengali women notable for their expressive facial features and Amrita Shergill’s demure Punjabi womenfolk. Sadly, though, we haven’t moved <br />forward from those stereotypes and the modern woman is still missing from our <br />new artworks.”<br /><br />“For the same reason, we decided to call upon these contemporary artists, some foreigners included, to express their understanding of the woman of today’s world.”<br />The result is, indeed, fresh and appealing. Nabanita Ghosh, a young Kolkata-based artist, has interpreted the old-school Bengali depiction of Kali, placing an ordinary old lady in a setting reminiscent of religious calendar art. Vinita Dasgupta, on the other hand, has painted a model in a backless dress looking over her shoulder making for a very glamorous frame. Vinita seems smitten by pop culture and her artworks are straight out of film magazines.<br /><br />Fabien Jakob has a thought-provoking black-and-white photograph of a woman looking out of the window. The sense of dullness in her life is almost palpable. Shashi Paul’s fibre and stainless steel sculpture, on the contrary, has a woman who seems to be on the brink of taking off into the air. Preksha Tathi’s mixed-media work is notable too – a picture of a woman in a headscarf with several scribblings like gossip, anger, irritation and laughter surrounding it.<br /><br />Construe these artworks as you may, they can’t be easily brushed aside.<br /></p>
<p>For centuries, art in India has celebrated femininity in all its forms: the fierce weapon-wielding demon-slaying Goddess, the sensuous full-bodied object of desire and even the ordinary village woman going about her daily chores. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Now, a group art exhibition by 29 odd contemporary artists is commenting on womanhood in its more modern avatar. A model striking an intense pose, a housewife looking out of her window into the void, a rag-tag street woman suckling her infant – the artists have poured out their thoughts on what a woman, today, means to them, making for an interesting and thoughtful display.<br /><br />The host, Art Konsult Gallery in Lado Sarai, focuses on contemporary art and launches at least a couple of new and young artists with every show. This exhibition, <br />titled ‘She,’ also comprises mostly contemporary artists with some select old artworks included for a curated effect. In a follow-up of Mother’s Day celebrations, it will go on <br />till June 7.<br /><br />Curator of the exhibition, Neelam Malhotra, explains to Metrolife, “Indian art has seen some resplendent examples <br />of portrayal of woman. Take for example, Raja Ravi Varma’s half-divine half-human feminine figures evocatively draped in saris, Jamini Roy’s Bengali women notable for their expressive facial features and Amrita Shergill’s demure Punjabi womenfolk. Sadly, though, we haven’t moved <br />forward from those stereotypes and the modern woman is still missing from our <br />new artworks.”<br /><br />“For the same reason, we decided to call upon these contemporary artists, some foreigners included, to express their understanding of the woman of today’s world.”<br />The result is, indeed, fresh and appealing. Nabanita Ghosh, a young Kolkata-based artist, has interpreted the old-school Bengali depiction of Kali, placing an ordinary old lady in a setting reminiscent of religious calendar art. Vinita Dasgupta, on the other hand, has painted a model in a backless dress looking over her shoulder making for a very glamorous frame. Vinita seems smitten by pop culture and her artworks are straight out of film magazines.<br /><br />Fabien Jakob has a thought-provoking black-and-white photograph of a woman looking out of the window. The sense of dullness in her life is almost palpable. Shashi Paul’s fibre and stainless steel sculpture, on the contrary, has a woman who seems to be on the brink of taking off into the air. Preksha Tathi’s mixed-media work is notable too – a picture of a woman in a headscarf with several scribblings like gossip, anger, irritation and laughter surrounding it.<br /><br />Construe these artworks as you may, they can’t be easily brushed aside.<br /></p>
