Art imitates life, but it also borrows from visions, dreams, and fantasies. The exhibition titled ‘I Have a Dream’ recently opened at Masha Art, Camellias, Gurgaon. Curated by Uma Nair, the expansive showcase featuring four domains of art—ceramics, sculpture, figurative painting, and abstract art—is a celebration of the freedom of spirit of female artists. The show straddles paintings, sculptures, and ceramics presenting 18 women artists and is dedicated to the memories of Jyotsna Bhatt, potter, and Rini Dhumal, printmaker, artist, and creator extraordinaire. Participating artists include Jayasri Burman, Nutan Pandit, Seema Koli, Chaitali Chanda, Gogi Saroj Pal, Ranjeeta Kant, Rita Datta, Sangeeta Gupta, Sonia Sareen, Sujata Bajaj, and Vasundra Tewari Broota.

“The world has millions of stories about women artists who struggle to find a style that matches their vision. All artists I feel must echo the philosophy of Francis Picabia who said artists must express the emotion that nature makes them feel without the least care for technique in order to reach their goal. I have picked women artists who have found their own pictorial freedom. I am looking at a show that exemplifies purity of thoughts in painting, sculpture, and ceramics,” says show curator Uma Nair.

Embracing the spirit of femininity

The works displayed here are a reflection of the resilience of women and nature. The paintings, too, celebrate feminine fervor. For instance, contemporary Indian artist Jayasri Burman titled ‘Shringar 1’ is a bronze sculpture of a woman holding a mirror; it celebrates the beauty of the human figure. Another untitled sculpture by Nutan Pandit highlights a woman with vines for hair. By juxtaposing the figure of the woman with nature, Pandit exhibits both their powers.

Reclaiming the world of art

While explaining a few works in her curation, Nair talks about the up-and-coming artist Chaitali Chanda and her untitled paintings of women working. Nair says, “It is beautiful to discover new artists and put them on the map. I believe a curator’s role is deeply historic. They have shown to the world what one normally does not see.” Through this exhibition, Nair also aims to offer a renewed outlook on art. She concludes, “As a curator, the experience of a viewer is a treasured gift to me.”

''The show is dedicated to the memories of potter Jyotsna Bhatt and printmaker Rini Dhumal,” says Samarth Mathur, Director, and Co-founder, Masha Art. “This exhibition is about the balance of many journeys, and embraces a world vision,” he adds. Bhatt and Dhumal are the two gurus of MS University Baroda who are no more existing in their physical forms but are ever so present among us through their artworks.

Sure enough, ‘I have a dream’ is about celebrating the synergy of women in a world of great sadness and pain. It is a show that reflects the beauty of creation and the freedom of spirit of women artists in India.

This is a sponsored article.