International Women’s Day has always been a flurry of activities. The universe magically comes alive to celebrate all things feminine. Trophies are awarded on glittering stages. Quotes about how women hold up the sky, even in the middle of mopping, cooking, looking after family, and building careers that they dared to dream about, explode on every WhatsApp group. And hold the sky and earth they do, until the euphoria of the day lasts. The day after, life presents itself at the crack of dawn with all its harsh realities, much before the bouquets wilt, until the next Women’s Day celebrations once again creates the illusion of a just world.
Artists have always stood against prejudices and biases. A million canvases have boldly proclaimed the injustice of gender discrimination. And yet, how fair has the world of art been to women practitioners? Here’s an indication. Art has been around since mankind evolved in caves. Still, it was only in 1987 that women artists in India could have an ‘all female artists’ show — a long journey indeed! ‘Through the Looking Glass’, held at Bharat Bhawan, Bhopal that year, was the first major art show in India that featured only female artists. Four women artists who are today considered the pride of the country — Arpita Singh, Nalini Malani, Madhvi Parekh, and Nilima Sheikh, came together to make it happen. When Nalini Malani found herself as the lone woman in an otherwise ‘all male artists’ show called ‘Place for People’, she experienced a feeling of being quite lost. It was then that she felt the need for an exhibition that showcased women’s art exclusively. In 1979, she visited the A.I.R. gallery in Brooklyn, New York, a feminist art collective since 1972. After meeting fellow women artists there, she was convinced that it was time for women artists in India to get their own space. Excited with the prospect, she proposed the idea once back in the country, but was disillusioned after seeing the lack of interest. Nevertheless, she did not give up the vision and eventually after seven long years, made it a reality. Funding was hard to come by. Women artist friends came forward to help and support, but it wasn’t easy. As the show travelled to cities, the women went along, children in tow, travelling in second class trains. In the years that followed, the struggles that female artists had to overcome were many — from creating a market when artworks by women were not commercially viable and sales were uncertain, to finding galleries to represent them.
Today, in contemporary India, women in the art world are in a much better position, although there still is a long way to go before there can ever be any comparison with a male artist’s career opportunities. The new horizons that have opened up for all the generations of women who followed, could never have been possible without women who stood by their beliefs to make a change, despite all odds. Following this Women’s Day, let’s shout our cheers for every woman trailblazer who cleared the paths that we now tread with familiarity.