Woman And The World: A Show of Thoughtful Works

Shujaat Mirza’s solo show “Woman and the World” that opened Sunday evening at Jodhpur Art Gallery as part of the gallery’s ongoing Festival has come as a one off in the recent period.

What’s good is this one off that perhaps took time to crystallize its essential stories, leaves an enjoyable trail of the artist-critic’s mind through a line of simple but impressive creativity presented as an assemblage predominantly of drawings and sketches.

Mirza who is a regular on the local art scene either as an art lover-connoisseur or a guest doing honors or doubling up as an occasional writer or even curator, has also been participating regularly in group shows.

But this solo of his smaller works with a sizable chunk relatable directly with the theme about women leaves one with a flavor of his masterly drawings mostly done in pen and ink on paper, or some sketches done in charcoal or quite a few in dry pastel colours.

It’s a small segment on the end wall of the gallery that displays his paintings in oils/acrylics on canvas where his prowess to play with wet and thick colours also comes clean through the landscapes and a couple of abstracts that leave a good deal of texturing and doles of colours to enjoy his artistry in this rich format.

The “masterly drawings”, as we call them, pack in the frame from a single figure to a lot of them added with external elements in many others to complete a composition or a collage with aplomb. The figures that he draws are chiseled in form; which trait comes either as a gift or out of a great deal of practice and experience; or a nice combination of both in rare cases.

Be that as it may, the frames, figures and compositions in composite wholes tend to talk to you as you move through these works numbering about a few scores or thereabouts. The works betray a “speaking countenance”; their “talking persona” popping out from within a bare outline; which is actually further enhanced by the thoughtfully worded text added meticulously by the artist – the poet sitting within doing this apt prosaic talking as well !!

The text accompanying the works becomes a statement or a story, as has perhaps been hinted in the brief note of the exhibition. There is this four worded theme of the show and then there are sub captions followed by a one liner or two liner detail, chosen from work to work which bring out the essence of the story involving the women in focus.

The women portrayed in the works come from a milieu comprising Ramayan and Ram’s Virah on one end and modern day women on the other – showcasing A Woman Ascetic of the Bhakti Period – (or is it the Brahminical Vedic period for an ascetic like Gargi and more) and a Meera, the “prem diwani” somewhere in the middle of the period under reference.

Mirza demonstrates an adequate understanding of the Indian sociological or spiritual ethos in the process. The depiction of the women actually is not complete without works like Pleasure Workers and Suroor as also some works that juxtapose women in shores beyond India to make the picture a little more complete thereby giving a hint to an understanding of other milieus too in matters of the feminine soul.

Sita’s agni pareeksha is a universal as well as an all-time contemporary phenomenon that women continue to face in many ways and many forms. This perhaps becomes the loudest statement coming from out of these works that are meant to showcase “the eternal odyssey of the feminine soul”. There are works in the same context of challenges to both the feminine and the feminist groups that underscore the women’s keen quest for self determination and freedom but the persistent Agni Parikshas tend to leave them in self-doubt at every other step.

The show includes Mirza’s other works from other times and concerns other than the women’ travails and strengths. The range of works also includes a few works styled as diptychs and triptychs.

He includes in the show two interesting portraits of valiant warrior Shivaji and American President Abraham Lincoln – two men who fought for emancipation and independence of their people in their own way. Mirza has also included the “Portrait of the Brooding Man” to underscore a point that men characteristically never do demonstrate their emotions.

The artist has also included two self portraits which add to the fun quotient of the show as also to the artist’s own take on his own persona.

The show was opened by a collective of eminence in people like Ratilal Kansodaria, Kamal Khokhani, Trupti Dave, Mihir Gajrawala, Amit Parikh and Siddhant Zinzuwadia while arts community turned out for the ceremony and the show in good numbers. A gazal beautifully rendered by Prachi Maya Gajanan made the ceremony even more melodious!

An interesting, impactful and enjoyable show light in its facade but pretty serious in its undertones, this one deserves a visit while it is open till December 14.