Art exploring 'home' through a woman's eyes

A virtual exhibition that brings together eight women artists from across India, who draw inspiration from their domestic environment and experiences while living in traditional Indian households, is now live until July 10.

Presented by Anant Art gallery and curated by Aditi Ghildiyal, the exhibition explores the idea of the 'nest' or 'home' in both its literal and metaphorical contexts - in a time when homes have come to occupy the better part of our lives - from a female perspective.

"A home is a very intimate space and thus each of us have our own interpretation in regard to it. It has multiple connotations and can be seen as a place of shelter, comfort, security, independence, identity, spirituality, solitude and compromise, entailing individual and shared experiences," the gallery said.

The artists draw inspiration from their own dwellings to delve deep into the constitution of an architectural space of a house and its correlation with the woman in it and often, versus it.

The exhibition shares perspectives and allows one to think of behaviours and materiality that separates the domestic and the non-domestic.

The participating artists include Bhartti Verma, Dimple Shah, Jitha Karthikeyan, Manju Mohanadas, Moutushi Chakraborty, Nirali Lal, Sonali Laha and Sonatina Mendes. The exhibition will also include a performance video titled 'Stainless Steel Nirvana - Path of Atmanirbhar' by Dimple Shah.

"The concept took shape in response to the many news articles I came across that talked about the surge in domestic abuse cases during the lockdown world over.

What should have been a boon - spending time with our loved ones – has turned out to be a curse for many women. Their own homes have morphed into devious spaces of torment and distress. This led me to question the idea of a home as a nest - a shelter that one weaves with utmost love and care.

How it differs for every woman and how domesticity as an agency yields different narratives," show's curator Aditi Ghildiyal said.

All artists in this exhibition share the tendency of drawing narratives from their domestic environment and thus the exhibition answers many untouched domains of the female consciousness, she added.

With each work densely packed with significance, the show offers the viewer an intellectually stimulating experience when it comes to unpacking and interpreting the artist's vision, each layer charged with political/personal meaning.

The digital exhibition will be on view from June 12-July 10 at www.anantart.com.