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Lot Essay
Mumbai-based artist, Anju Dodiya graduated from the Sir J.J. School of Art in 1986, and since the 1990s has been recognized among the most prominent artists of her generation. She is particularly renowned for her ‘fictional self-portraits’ that confront the act of art-making and the violence she feels is inherent to the creative process. Her narrative compositions are conjured up as imaginative dreamscapes that give the viewer a glimpse into Dodiya’s conscious and subconscious mind, and are loaded with poetic symbolism, cross-pollinated by references from a broad array of cultures, media and historical periods, from Medieval and Renaissance paintings and tapestries to Japanese Ukio-e prints and the films of Ingmar Bergman.
Over the years, the self has been at the center of her works, with most of her female subjects bearing a strong resemblance to the artist. Dodiya recalls, “When I started working, using my own self was the only way I knew how to paint. At that time, my works were like nocturnal diaries, full of stories and narratives. This invented self stayed on, it became a useful device, a take-off point, to explore my various states of mind - the darkness within, the tenderness and the fear. I set up characters and stories around it to explore this. Using my own face also gives me a sense of comfort, because very often my images are violent” (Artist statement, Real in Realism, New Delhi, 2002, unpaginated).
In Cocoon, a rare work on canvas in an oeuvre dominated by watercolors on paper and painted mattresses, two versions of Dodiya appear to be in conversation with each other, “like Echo and Narcissus in highly charged debate, as if to represent polarities of thought” (G. Sinha, ‘Feminism and Women Artists in India’, Contemporary Indian Art: Other Realities, Mumbai, 2002, p. 72). Interestingly, the composition reflexively references Dodiya’s practice of painting, with a blank, partially veiled canvas on an easel, painting materials and pieces of furniture from her home and studio populating the background. Portraying one of her figures under the covers in bed, Dodiya also alludes to the subliminal world of dreams and the freedom it offers, another recurring theme in her work.
Speaking about this work, the artist notes that it is "one of the few canvasses that I have done over the years. The acrylic paint, applied in thin layers tries to mimic the luminosity of watercolour. My subject matter then, was often about conversations with the self in intimate domestic spaces. Here, it is an artist self, resting/restless in a cocoon of hesitation. The bare canvas beckons, surrounded by studio paraphernalia, furniture and books. Objects are positioned creating an empty arena in the center, where the artist will act. The pencil in a ‘magic’ jug will be the catalyst. Perhaps, the studio light is a premonition of the glow of creative possibilities" (In conversation with the artist, July 2022).
Dodiya’s work has been shown in solo exhibitions in London, New York, Singapore, Mumbai, and New Delhi among other cities. It has also been included in group exhibitions around the world, including at the Chicago Cultural Center; the Centre for International Modern Art in Kolkata, and the National Gallery of Modern Art, in Mumbai and New Delhi.
Over the years, the self has been at the center of her works, with most of her female subjects bearing a strong resemblance to the artist. Dodiya recalls, “When I started working, using my own self was the only way I knew how to paint. At that time, my works were like nocturnal diaries, full of stories and narratives. This invented self stayed on, it became a useful device, a take-off point, to explore my various states of mind - the darkness within, the tenderness and the fear. I set up characters and stories around it to explore this. Using my own face also gives me a sense of comfort, because very often my images are violent” (Artist statement, Real in Realism, New Delhi, 2002, unpaginated).
In Cocoon, a rare work on canvas in an oeuvre dominated by watercolors on paper and painted mattresses, two versions of Dodiya appear to be in conversation with each other, “like Echo and Narcissus in highly charged debate, as if to represent polarities of thought” (G. Sinha, ‘Feminism and Women Artists in India’, Contemporary Indian Art: Other Realities, Mumbai, 2002, p. 72). Interestingly, the composition reflexively references Dodiya’s practice of painting, with a blank, partially veiled canvas on an easel, painting materials and pieces of furniture from her home and studio populating the background. Portraying one of her figures under the covers in bed, Dodiya also alludes to the subliminal world of dreams and the freedom it offers, another recurring theme in her work.
Speaking about this work, the artist notes that it is "one of the few canvasses that I have done over the years. The acrylic paint, applied in thin layers tries to mimic the luminosity of watercolour. My subject matter then, was often about conversations with the self in intimate domestic spaces. Here, it is an artist self, resting/restless in a cocoon of hesitation. The bare canvas beckons, surrounded by studio paraphernalia, furniture and books. Objects are positioned creating an empty arena in the center, where the artist will act. The pencil in a ‘magic’ jug will be the catalyst. Perhaps, the studio light is a premonition of the glow of creative possibilities" (In conversation with the artist, July 2022).
Dodiya’s work has been shown in solo exhibitions in London, New York, Singapore, Mumbai, and New Delhi among other cities. It has also been included in group exhibitions around the world, including at the Chicago Cultural Center; the Centre for International Modern Art in Kolkata, and the National Gallery of Modern Art, in Mumbai and New Delhi.