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Footprints of women
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An ongoing show brings together the works of 30 women printmakers
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HOLDING HANDS Printmaking, a community-based medium, contributes to the collective power of women
"Printmaking is a community-based medium, unlike painting, which is done in isolation," says Kavita Shah, curator of the exhibition Footprints: Women in Printmaking. "Printing is always done in community workshops or private studios and hence the print shows have a synergy and contribute to the collective power of women artists and empowers them."
Footprints: Women in Printmaking has been put together by Chhaap, a community printmaking studio based at Vadodara, under the aegis of Bhasha Research and Publication Centre, Vadodara, and Hivos, a non-governmental organisation headquartered in The Netherlands. It brings together the works of 30 women printmakers. While most of the participants are from India, there are a few from Pakistan, U.K., U.S.A. and Hong Kong.
It is heartening to see the prints of several artists from younger generations alongside those of senior printmakers. The show highlights the differing techniques adopted by the participating artists — etching, lithograph, chincolle, aquatint, woodcut, embossing, serigraph, linocut, digital/block print, dry point, mezzotint and so on.
Lalitha Lajmi suffuses her tightly composed etching Performer, The Cat & Death with suggestive symbols. An aging actress sits on a boat with a watchful cat. She holds the mask of a young female face in one hand, and glances at a mirror held in the other. Seemingly afloat on its own, another boat in the vicinity has a sleeping cat, an old alarm clock and a skull in its belly.
Anupam Sud's evocative image titled Game II Snakes & Ladders has, on its periphery, animals chased by hunters. In the middle of the frame is the dense impression of two despondent faces. Among other impressive works on display are Pakistani printmaker Meher Afroz's skilfully rendered etching on tea-stained paper titled Poshaak 1, Sukla Sen Poddar's imaginatively structured Coloured Jug, Kavita Shah's expressive lithograph When Everything Goes Wrong... , Moutushi Banerjee's sepia-toned Theatre Performance.
American artist Marina Tsesarskaya's Awakening From The Dream, Shankuntala Kulkarni's erotic engagement (Untitled, etching/aquatint), Puja Puri's sombre serigraph Bali Studio, Lahore, India and Champa Sharath's colourful woodcut Gray Essentials also catch the eye.
While the overall effort is laudable, one feels that stronger curatorial intervention and better display of works would have enhanced the look and feel of the exhibition.
The exhibition concludes on July 13 at Colab Art and Architecture, Cunningham Road. Phone: 41148932
Leaving an impression
Chhaap, Baroda Printmaking Workshop, established as a co-operative in 1999, promotes appreciation of original prints and printmaking techniques. It was promoted by Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh, Vijay Bagodi and Kavita Shah. It offers opportunities to artists to work in different printmaking media. Chhaap is at Tetra Track, Purshottam Estate, Bahucharaji Road, Karelibaug, Vadodara 390018. Email: chhaap@rediffmail.com
ATHREYA
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