Untitled (Head)

Influenced by Marxism and a liberal political agenda, Navjot Altaf's work addresses issues of violence and gender in Indian society. Her series of wooden sculptures emanates from her engagement with tribal artists. According to G. Sinha, "...working with craftspersons in Kondagaon, Bastar district, she has strived to imbue her sculptures with an iconic power as they interrogate the existing power structure." G. Sinha, "Feminism and Women Artists in India." Marg, volume 53, no. 3, March 2002, p. 64. These tragi-comic, broad-faced heroines reflecting a grotesque and unidealized female form are a testament to the power of the underdog to overcome her lot in a patriarchal society.