28 women artists come together for a social cause
The upcoming exhibition, titled Beyond Being Woman, will feature the works of 28 women artists from Kerala who are members of the Women Visual Artists Collective based in Kerala
Artwork by Jitha Karthikeyan
CHENNAI: During a recent visit to DakshinaChitra, Sajitha R Shankhar had an unexpected encounter with Deborah Thiagarajan. During their casual conversation, Deborah proposed the idea of curating an exhibition in connection with the relocation and reconstruction of ‘Moplah House,’ a 125-year-old heritage home from Kozhikode to Chennai. Sajitha enthusiastically accepted the offer. The upcoming exhibition, titled Beyond Being Woman, will feature the works of 28 women artists from Kerala, including Sajitha herself. These artists are members of the Women Visual Artists Collective based in Kerala, a group formed by women artists during the pandemic.
Sajitha R Shankhar
“In response to DakshinaChitra’s interest in such a curatorial project, I thought about collaborating with my fellow artists from the Women Visual Artist’s Collective. This show serves as a bridge between artist-women and their cultural backgrounds,” Sajitha explains. Delving into the history of 20th-century art, one can observe a significant resistance to acknowledging women for their creative intellect, even when they defy societal gender constructs. “A comprehensive social history of gender equality is not widely discussed, even among academicians. I believe it’s crucial to address this inequality organically.”
Prerna Sharma's work
The 28 artists chosen for this exhibition were born between 1950 and 1985. They were selected because of the curator’s belief in their potential to create meaningful dialogue and artistic expression. Sajitha views each artist as an ‘alphabet,’ each contributing to a unique art language that explores the complexities of existence as women in the realm of art. “I prefer not to impose a specific theme on this show because each of these artists has evolved into an undivided feminine sense of nature, culture, and history. Some of them boldly critique the polarised ideals of patriarchy.”
By Indu Antony
Beyond Being Woman, Edition-1, is just the beginning of a more extensive journey. Sajitha envisions subsequent editions that will feature artists born between 1985 and 2000. These editions will showcase the artistic evolution and contributions of the younger generation of women artists from Kerala, bridging the gap between continuities and discontinuities.
Beyond Being Woman will be open to the public from October 2 at Moplah House in DakshinaChitra for 90 days.
