All India Women Artists’ Art Exhibition 2020

Painting a World of their Own

Art allows one to suspend the mundane and mentally step into a visual-scape, no matter how distant it may be, through the medium of digital technology. Upon virtually entering the Artscapes Annual exhibition, I immediately grasp that the maternal and the mythological, are celebrated, I see aspects of beauty and career come into conversation and conflict with each other, where nature is celebrated and brash, destructive urbanity is questioned, where certain dark secrets of the nuptial bond between man and woman are exposed and interrogated, where childhood joys are eulogized and old aged solemnized, where colour, line and texture are evoked and employed with dexterity and mastery. This meta narrative unfolds atthe 9th Annual Artscapes Annual Awardee-Artist Exhibition 2020, featuring professional and student women artists from across the country, addressing several themes that occupy contemporary and modern, women artists of India.

As Dr Alka Pande pointed out in her 2018 essay for the same event, our cultural conundrums can be a bit like “a soup bowl of the post-colonial and the post-modern artistic fermentations.”Indeed, our complex history has always been a distant landscape against which the immediacy of the contemporary unfolds, its importance growing or receding depending on the context within which the exhibition takes place. Before addressing the individual artists and the art works that command one’s attention, I would like to address the phenomenon of having a separate event for women artists, in fact I would like to examine the word ‘woman artist’ itself. Those existing within the average patriarchal set up often question a women’s only space, calling it Zenana like with a dark sense of humour asking why do women still have to be treated separately in 2020. The answer is that it provides a sanctuary where intellectual, spiritual and cultural advancement is nurtured. Numerous studies and organizations such as the Women’s College Coalition document that going to a women’s college or a woman’s only space, “greatly  increases the chances that a woman will become a leader in a traditionally male (and hence better paid) field.”

Additionally, one must congratulate Artscapes for holding an event that is dedicated to celebrating the talent of women. Artscapes is a profitless and non-government establishment which aims to encourage, reinforce and bring forth artistic talent in the various categories of artistry. They endeavor to create inspirational art in numerous categories, from Visual Art, Literary Art, to the Performing Art and Literature in India and Abroad and professional training subjects.

It has been seriously documented that woman only spaces report greater opportunity for women to assume leadership roles, excel in fields that have been traditionally reserved for men, and they are known to possess higher levels of self-esteem and self-achievement when compared to co-educational spaces. Moreover, it is beneficial for society to be exposed to a female only space that contemplates the issues that are faced primarily by women who have been designated as the ‘fairer but weaker sex’, in a ‘man’s world’. This however, this does not imply that women should not have dialogue or interaction with their male counter-parts, or exist in a vacuum. Instead it suggests that this dialogue happen on an equal playing ground that is not over shadowed by bias and preconceived notions of what women artists can and cannot do.

Approaching the artworks that I as an art critic and curator find interesting and captivating, I must indicate that there is no hierarchy in the order within which I mention them, but certainly a level that reflects my own personal interests and lived-reality. In that context, I site the work, Debating Myself, by Delhi based, Sauda mini Mishra. An acrylic on canvas in black and white, the work displays a technical acumen of hyperrealism, but more importantly it possesses a vulnerable narrative that captures a woman in a debate with herself. It is a dual of the self where one woman appears dressed in a semi transparent blouse, with conventional make-up on, a fancy coiffured hairstyle and a mirror gripped in her hand, while the other is a portrait of the same woman, dressed in a no-nonsense roll-neck top, with glasses perched on her nose as she is pointing meaningfully to her notebook with her pen. It captures perfectly the diurnal struggle between intellect and beauty within womanhood.

One assumes that this is a self-portrait, where one of the selves tries to balance the other, however it has a universal appeal to the urban working woman, who is typically in this condition facing what may seem like an everyday decision—should one be seen as ‘an object of beauty’ or as ‘part of the work machinery?” An attractive woman or one of the boys?’ The artist throws this question out there for the viewer to contemplate.

Another work by sculptor Nusrat Jahan, titled We Have Challenges, speaks volumes of the difficulties faced while conforming to the ‘beauty myth. It is a sculpture of a wooden platform shoe, with a set of painful-looking nails emerging from the sole where the foot is typically kept, indicating and sharing the experience of cultivating the ‘perfect height is a painful process. On the other end of the spectrum of these narrative realistic works is an etching by Neetu Gaikwad (from Bhopal), which appears to be a collection of swirling textures and basic forms and shapes, however with time and contemplation there are human forms that emerge from the chaos.

To be a one man jury of the 9th All-India Women Artists, Contemporary Art Exhibition 2020—Artscapes was an enriching experience. The exhibition brings together talented women artists from across the country and abroad from different demographics to align on common grounds.

Women artists have always played a key role in Indian art and held their space with great élan, from Amrita Shergill, Anjoli Ela Menon, Arpana Caur and now Bharti Kher.

Since past few decades we have seen women promote, curate and deal in arts in a big way. It is heartening changes for the future, where the hope is to see more and more women be at the forefront of the change in the art scene and movement.
It’s critical to look at the world through the eyes of a women’s lens and perspective today, her interpretation of the world through her journey and interaction with the world at large. How their surroundings and movement around them impact her—world view through her works of art will be a gift for the future generations.

Artscapes, a non-profit organization has been offering a great platform for women artists to explore and showcase their art in City Beautiful Chandigarh annually.

It was encouraging to see how Artscapes is committed to inspiring, encouraging and celebrating women in the Visual Fine Arts.

As Kahlo says everything revolves, gradually evolves and brings with it changes that will help define the art scene in India. I’m of strong belief that if we keep providing women with platforms like “Artscapes” to showcase their work, they will surely take their rightful place and shine in the art space.

It’s imperative that we integrate different voices and works in the art dialogue.