Thirteen female artists are showcasing their artworks at Gallery Art Konsult, expressing their ideas boldly on the canvas.
Artist Nalini Mishra Tayabji usually expresses her emotions through figurative and contemporary art. But, in her recent artwork, the self-trained artist has cut out interesting shapes from magazines and laid them on a table to decide her final subject. She calls this a collage art, something that she always wanted to do but did could not get the chance to pursue.
“I have created images organically in this piece. The idea emerged after I saw the pictures that were collected. Most of them were from a popular geographic magazine because of the quality, colour and print of the paper,” she says.
Two of Nalini’s works, namely, Ganga and Ganesha, are being showcased at her first group show titled ‘The Power Within, The Power Beyond’.
“For Ganga, I collected images of an emerald ring, fishes, leaves, typographical map and flowers, among other things,” she shares.
In another artwork, a painting with embellishments, she took inspiration from regional art. “In this, I started with a women’s face. But then made into a bird and as I progressed, I added peacocks, owls and other elements to it,” she shares.
Nalini has created these artworks for a group show that the World University of Design has organised for women artists to allow its students to participate.
Explaining the idea of the show, Sanjay Gupta, Vice Chancellor, WUD, said, “The idea is to involve our students to get up, close and personal with artists so that they can learn from the professionals while still studying art. No matter what kind of artists these students become, it is essential for them to meet other artists and understand their art. I also feel that the show will bring our students at par with the professionals.”
Joining Nalini are 12 other artists, namely, Arpana Caur, Dimple B Shah, Dipti Gupta, Dr. Sushma Yadav, Gayatri Apte, Kanchan Chander, Kavita Nayar, Manjari Sharma, Nupur Kundu, Rini Dhumal, Usha Garodia and Vasudha Thozhur. Some of them are mixed media artists who are showcasing pottery, paintings, sculptors, abstract pieces and print.
Akanksha Wadhwani, the curator of the show, says, “There are a lot of artworks that talk about untamed thoughts and blossom of love. Then some of them are also based on the artists’ understanding and experiences. However, all the artists are exploring and expressing their ideas boldly and this is what connects them. And what connects them is their way of expression.”
For instance, Dr Sushma Yadav’s work ‘Secret stories’, displays the artist’s thoughts in her own set of experiences.
Akanksha explains that the artist’s work comes with a deeper meaning. “The artist has taken herself as the protagonist and shown herself wearing the role of a multitasker. She is a lover, mother, caretaker and giver. That’s how women are in real sense. That is what she has put in her works as well. It is also a depiction of the several acts a woman has to showcase in her life,” she adds.
Nupur Kundu’s work also showcases her strength but it is in the form of her choice of colours. “The show includes two of my abstract works in Pasto technique. My strength comes out in the way I have applied the strokes and colour palette to these works,” she shares.
Kanchan Chander has attempted to show her nostalgia with the bygone times in her artwork titled as ‘Koi lotta de mere beete hue din’.
Akanksha explains her painting with two faces as a take on her life. “The happy face shows her early days of life and the darker shades (black) in the palette reveal her sadness. The artist has attempted to say that as a child, she had a carefree life but as she grew up, things have turned around. She has also shown that when she was young, she was courageous but with time, her bold, beautiful and independent life has turned around,” she adds.
Coromoto Godoy Calderon, Ambassador of Venezuela, inaugurated the show. Calling it a cultural treat, she said, “I love Indian art, specially the one that women make because it is through their work, you see their power. Sometimes, just talking to them you realise that it doesn’t matter what their age or experience is, they have richness that is natural to them.”
The show will be open for public between 10-15 March from 11am to 5pm at Gallery Art Konsult, New Delhi.