New Delhi: It is true that equal representation between male and female artists is still missing. However, recently the number of exhibitions has been steadily increasing. Organized by Art Garde, “Voices of Women” is one of his contemporary art exhibitions under the umbrella of Young Collectors Pop-up, which will be launched for the first time in 2022. Platforms like this seek to address this disparity.
This exhibition will feature works by emerging and contemporary women artists from across the country. This exhibition focuses on the work of female artists in a variety of mediums. In 2023, a global collecting survey by Art Basel and YBS draws attention to the fact that female collectors currently collect more works than men, with many focusing on this disparity and focusing solely on female artists. The problem is being addressed by proactive collection.
The show eliminates stereotypes associated with female artists through a showcase of diverse mediums, styles, and experiences. This curation aims to break away from the stereotypes that often limit the expansion of women in the art field today. A similar approach is taken in curating the subjects represented. For example, female nudes are still not taught in live drawing classes at art colleges across the country.
Historically, especially in the South Asian context, women have been associated with handicrafts rather than fine arts. However, the adaptability with which women approach art offers a unique glimpse into the intersection of physicality and painting. This exhibition does not intend for women to belong to any particular art style. It provides a platform for women to tackle the traditional and the non-traditional, the expected and the unexpected. This is a curation of today's contemporary female artists across a variety of disciplines.
A common theme among the works on display is how each woman responds to contemporary stimuli that affect her personally and society as a whole, while respecting diversity. The exhibition will be held from April 9th to 15th at A2/22 Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi.
Participating artists:
Malavika Rajnarayan studied painting at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat College of Art and the Faculty of Fine Arts, MS University of Baroda. Parallel to her activities in her studio, she works as an art resource officer at the Azim Premji Foundation. Her work has been exhibited across India and abroad, most recently she was exhibited at the Seattle Art Museum in 2022. She serves as artist-in-residence at Collective Studio Her Baroda. Center for Contemporary Artists (Troy, New York): Co-residency as a member of Surfacial at CAMAC Art Center in Marnay-sur-Seine, France, and ZK/U in Berlin. She received her Nasreen Mohammedi Scholarship for her postgraduate studies in 2005.
Malavika's paintings use human figures to create stories imbued with a feminine sensibility. Her background in Indian classical music and her interest in the advancement of Indian and Asian knowledge traditions form the basis of her explorations. Her visual language is grounded in the tradition of miniature painting, and the poignancy of her ideas is conveyed through beauty, grace, and poetry.
Tanushree Sarkar is an acclaimed and award-winning art director for films like Parineeta, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag and Eklavya. During her childhood, she was always interested in painting and fine art. She started her career with her Ogilvy & Mather, a media company. After she spent about four years there, she became a movie buff. She joined the newly opened production house. As her career progressed, she felt her own art was being left behind. So she decided not to act in films anymore after her 'Gabbar' and to dedicate more of her time to her own art. She participated in the India Art Fair held at the Nehru Center. Her work is heavily influenced by Indian history and culture.
Anushree Rabadia completed her BA in Painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara and is currently pursuing her MVA in Painting from MSU Baroda. She was awarded the Jheram Patel Award at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara in 2020-2021. Anushree's work is conceptually derived from her environment, nature and the necessities of everyday life. She manipulates her materials according to the sensations of her subjects to convey these observations. She uses her interest in pattern, flow, texture, rhythm, softness, sensibility, and optical illusions to express the intensity of her artwork, thereby creating her two-dimensional images on her mounts. You can create works. She draws inspiration from India's rich textile history to create her own unique creative interpretations. Anushree lives and works in Vadodara, Gujarat, India.
Ekta Singha holds a BA in Visual Arts in Painting from Government College of Arts and Crafts, Kolkata, India, and graduated with an MVA from the Department of Painting, Faculty of Fine Arts, MSU, Baroda, Gujarat, India. Ekta captivates audiences with her creative blend of mediums and materials. Ekta drew inspiration from Mughal, Persian and Rajput miniature painting traditions to create her unique artistic identity. She is influenced by her Bangladeshi roots, and memories of her ancestral homeland give her work depth and resonance. Her art at Ekta reflects an interesting fusion of her two different traditions: miniature painting and pata scroll painting. The former gives her work a visually complex element, while the latter allows for expansive storytelling and imbues her art with a dynamic sense of movement. Ekta Sinha uses her materials and forms evocatively to take her audience on a journey of discovery through her mesmerizing works.
Maitreyi Desai was born in Valsad, Gujarat and completed his BA in Visual Arts in Painting and MA in Visual Arts in Printmaking from MS University, Baroda. Miroku's works are ageless, like the bark of a hundred-year-old tree. Yet its delicacy is deeply personal and sacred. Through her interaction with nature, she wants to assert her own identity. Identity is synonymous with being rooted and grounded in home, family, and if we can expand our consciousness, nature as well. These are layered metaphors in her work. The complexity of her artwork is not only an aesthetic expression of nature, but also an emotional one, and the essence of what it means to create a home is found here, layer by layer, line by line. Maitreya is currently based in Vadodara, Gujarat.
Neha Luthra was born in India and raised in Warsaw, Poland. She is from St. Andrews University in Scotland, where she received her BA in Art History and Management, and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, where she received her Associate's Degree in Design in Surface Patterns/Textiles. Neha studied painting under the guidance of Sebasti Despina in Athens, Greece and she is currently a member of her 2024 class of drawing development year at the Royal School of Drawing. Her current art practice is based on her own photography and her life experiences. She lives between Warsaw and Jaipur.
Sarina Khemka is a talented visual artist known for her work in mixed media, particularly drawing, painting, and sculptural installations. She focuses on exploring the urban landscape, often weaving together stories of the city's past and future. Sarina holds her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the Art Institute of Chicago and Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan, India. Throughout her career, Sarina has participated in numerous exhibitions and has exhibited her work in galleries and art spaces across India and abroad. Her notable exhibitions include “Future Foundations,” “Walk-in Studio,” and “Build & Grow.” She is also a resident artist at notable institutions such as Space 118 and Piramal Arts Foundation in Mumbai. In addition to her artistic activities, Sarina is also passionate about art education and Kiran She conducts workshops with various organizations such as Nader Art Museum, Art 1st Foundation, Mohile She Parik She Center in Moomba . Sarina Khemka currently lives and works in Bangalore, where she continues to push the boundaries of her own artistic expression and create thought-provoking and visually appealing artwork. I am.
Astha Patel is a visual artist based in Vadodara, Gujarat. She draws inspiration from topics related to natural ecology and memory. Her work primarily consists of oil paintings on canvas and tempera, gouache, and watercolors on paper. She completed her Master's degree in Visual Arts from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara in 2022 and completed her Bachelor's degree from the same university. She received an Erasmus scholarship in 2017 and completed one semester at Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain. In 2019, a collaborative project she worked on with Pranche Thakore, Rahi de Roy and Savitha Ravi was exhibited by the Tate Collective. She has also participated in Space Studio Summer Residency, Residency Program in Vadodara 2021 and Student Biennale in Kochi She Muziris She Biennale. In 2023, she collaborated with Mumbai-based luxury apparel brand Aloka.
Vijaya Chauhan completed her postgraduate studies in Sculpture from Indirakara Sangeet University, Kairagh, Chhattisgarh (2011). She was awarded the 'Kalasankranti Puraskar National Award'. Her practice of Vijaya is inspired by her experience learning Braille, and her works often include coded messages. Each piece captivates the viewer both visually and tactilely. She currently lives and works between New Delhi and Vadodara with her husband and her son.
Tarini Sethi is an artist based in New Delhi. Tarini holds a BA in Political Science from Lady Shri Ram College in New Delhi and a BA in Drawing from Pratt Institute in New York. In her artistic practice, she explores themes such as human intimacy, body consciousness, and sexuality, and she draws from folklore and mythology through multimedia practices such as painting, drawing, and metal sculpture. Sethi has been featured in Architectural Digest India and many other Indian publications, she has had shows such as the Mumbai She Design Urban She Arts Festival, and solo exhibitions at the IIC Gallery and Chemould Colab. are also participating.
As a woman of Indian origin living in a space of extreme sexual repression and constant surveillance, she tries to focus as much as possible on the idea that the body can exist as the perfect vessel for exploration, action, and sexual liberation. . In the world she creates, the body is freed from conventional notions of gender, perfection, and beauty. She is the founder and curator of Irregulars Art Fair and exhibits around the world.
(With inputs from IANS)
