Breaking the Barriers

The art works of Renuka Sondhi Gulati not only focus on feminist issues but celebrate the womanhood as well
Breaking the Barriers

HYDERABAD:The art exhibition ‘Soaring Beyond the Self’ ongoing at Kalakriti Art Gallery explores the other facet of being a woman who from juggling between work and home loses that floral part of her personality which if not watered and aired regularly can pull her down to the abyss of darkness. The artist traverses through her mind bringing onto the canvases the solitary journey that she has to complete every day.

The Delhi-based artist not only has paintings on display but also bronze and fibre glass sculptures that catch your attention with their sharp steep features especially the nose. The sculpted faces appear as if they were alerted by your presence and stare deeply inside you. Interestingly, most of the bronze sculptures appear in groups as if they were bound by family ties. That’s how a sense of unison is generated from the same. In one of the works titled ‘Our Song’, she shows a woman in the mood to burst into some melodies as a tiny bird is perched on her shoulders.

The mood of serenity emanates around. And it’s not just the sculptures, her paintings, too, reverberate the same as is evident in one of her works titled ‘My Roots in My Country’ done in oil and acrylic which shows a woman sleeping above a busy cityscape while strong roots of an old tree pass through her. What we don’t know if she, too, is becoming a part of the tree or is in the process of spreading her roots all across the sky. The serenity on her face belies any trouble she’s going through or may be she’s overcome them all. In short, this exhibition is a sort of documentary of women: tired yet celebrating life.
The exhibition is on till April 17

— Saima Afreen
saima@newindianexpress
@Sfreen

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