BENGALURU : With an amalgamation of various media and styles, the fifth edition of I Rise, an ongoing art show, showcases the works of 15 women artists. From works that convey messages on the importance of education and empowerment of women, to humans being irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, the exhibition gives art-lovers some food for thought. City Express gives you a sneak peek into their works.
‘Art teaches you not fear making mistakes’
Chandana Kankaria has presented six works from the series she’s been working on for the last two years. She creates different textures and strokes using acrylics, different palette knives and brushes to create some bold strokes, dark shades and figuratives. “I have created these tiny figures to get viewers to reflect on how tiny we are in front of nature,” she said, adding one cannot conceal the mistakes one makes when he uses watercolours. “And as an artist, we shouldn’t fear making mistakes,” she said.
‘Girls would be happier to carry load of books’
Emphasising the importance of education for women, Runa Biswas said, “Three of my works portray how opportunities can help women grow.” In her untitled paintings done with watercolours with gold watercolour wash and free flow ink on archival papers, Biswas portrays a girl child carrying bricks with the name of subjects against the backdrop of bricks used for construction. It shows how girls would be happier to carry the load of their books than bricks,” she said.
‘Art does not discriminate’
Sujata Harish looks for life in inanimate objects and how everyone is connected to nature and cosmic energy in her work. Her works include etching of lotus, a symbol of purity trying to portray a cosmic connection; a mother as an animal figure portraying the bond she shares with her child; and Shivshakti with power to give birth and destroy the world. “Art provides freedom to do what you want but women just need support, which we lack,” she said.
Integrated qualities of womanhood
Devipriya loves to explore different medium – wood, bronze and fibre cast – to express herself. “This work on fibre cast conveys the modern woman with her integrated qualities of womanhood and her individual streaks of feminism. The red in the background symbolises passion, kindness, concern, strength and love. The lines within her show her intricacies today in an urban set up. They try to convey her thought process and emotions,” she said.
Art as a utility
Jyoti Gupta surrounds herself with vibrant colours, eclectic crafting materials and inspirational thoughts. For this show, she has exhibited art in the form of a box resembling a book made with wood and paper with portraits of women on its cover. The inside includes paintings with quotes from artists. There are covers of women such as Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. The idea behind creating such pieces with mixed media is to explore art as a utility.