A red to reckon with

A recent exhibition fused together the emotions and energies of the feminine universe in its selection of artworks made of upcycled waste.

The feminine force has ruled our ancient texts and narratives, reverbating in the creative contemporary expressions of artistes, more so over the past decade. In the wake of the recently concluded Durgo Pujo, the simple handwoven cotton sari — laal paar — from Bengal, a land where the Goddess is everything, becomes the essence of womanhood. It is the pivotal confluence of emotions and energies in the making of Laal Paar — a show that is a stunning creative collaboration between Baro Market and Wolf Jaipur.

The blazing sisterhood story cups itself in the 19 artworks that have been created over a span of a year and a half. You needn’t sift, sieve, and seize. The sheer strength and power of the feminine universe runs like a background score, through the energy synonymous with the pelvic crucible, the rush of strong emotions, the sheer resilience of the scrap and discards in buttons, hairpins, ghunghroos that come together to virtually sing in unison. The artworks retell ancient stories, speaking volumes of the historical silencing and erasure of women through dynamic forms in snakes (speaks of regeneration and renewal), flowers, the moon, and hypnotic spirals.

Says Ritu Singh, owner and founder, Wolf Jaipur, “We are in the midst of a feminine awakening and this is our tuning into that. The air is full of it, and it is such a fantastic time to be questioning norms, expressing our own perspectives on it. The colour red is symbolic of the life force, the feminine. Red, black and white are the colours consciously chosen for their connection with women’s menstrual cycles and also as the colours in Tantra — the original abstract — a big inspiration for this show. Pantone has introduced a shade called Period, and of course, artists around the world are tapping into the same source, making red the base for narratives to express this awakening. We can clearly see it girdle the globe.”

The menstrual and reproductive energies quiver through the collection. Buttons with their darting holes appear like a unifying thread, connecting and speaking of ‘collective consciousness’: the ability to be able to tap into a universal thought and reflect on what needs to be shed. Desi Gulab brings in a frame that has a light, acting like a glow around the yoni. The power and responsibility centered into the Shakti, the energy, the magic, the power. The pulsating pouring of emotions stands inspired by the 64 yogini, manifestations of the goddess in Tantra. The ability to renew, energise, shed and emerge are synonymous with the snake as well, representative of the kundalini shakti in Tantra. The creations, when viewed as a whole, seem to centralise towards a ‘bindu’, the centre of focus.

The idea of feminism

“After many years and six collaborations together, I feel this show delves deeper, to uncover more meaning in the forced intimacy of a pandemic-hit world. It brings out a story that is astonishing and beautiful, in all its layers. I love the idea of feminism without it being a cult or a mission, and I applaud how this embraces the feminine in every one of us,” says Srila Chatterjee, founder and owner of Baro Market. We are in an age of feminine awakening where women are rising to reclaim their own. This is the time for it as the world needs more healing, nurturing and a focus on the within.

The works are replete with forests and gardens and are spread across timelines and cultures. Varahi, the goddess of agriculture, arrives boar-headed with her plough-weapon, and has a riveting configuration of spoons and knives surrounding her. The references simply seep through; all you have to do is peep in. The brilliance lies in the slow decoding of layers. There are 450 cowries stitched on, reflective of the 450 menstrual cycles that a woman has, on an average, in her lifetime. The solar plexus, or manipura, appears as the third chakra, above the belly button. It gleams as an alluring pool of personal power and warrior energy. Mannat brings in a celebration of the legendary Black Madonna from Poland and Italy. A goddess who has no written history. Iconic, framed in gold, and reflective of the male-centric historical and mythical narratives, her typewriter crown and nib halos inspire rewritings to take place with the feminine awakening… “She has been shaped from objects found in the kabaadi bazaar behind the Govind Dev Ji temple in Jaipur,” shares Ritu.

Overall, there is a sense of magnetic calm, and it brings along the realisation that Shakti lives within each one of us. Latent, and born to rise.