Lot 304: f - Anju Dodiya , b. 1964 Nest charcoal, gouache, watercolour and chalk on paper

charcoal, gouache, watercolour and chalk on paper

172 by 112.5cm.; 67 by 44 1/4 in.

Delhi, Vadehra Art Gallery, Real in Realism, 2002

Sale: Saffronart, Mumbai, Contemporary Art, 6 September, 2006, Lot 66

Executed circa 2002.
The work of Mumbai-based artist Anju Dodiya draws upon various eclectic sources ranging from Indian miniatures and folk tales to Renaissance paintings, world cinema, Japanese Ukiyo-e prints and newspaper photographs to create intricate, mixed-media portraits that delve into her experiences as a woman in contemporary Indian society. In paintings like Nest, there is a keen sense of introspection that compels the viewer to unravel the untold stories presented and become enmeshed within their ambiguous frames of reference. Anju's self is the subject here, and all the elements are charged with an emotional value and lyrical narrative. There is something both vulnerable and theatrical in the surfaces of her paintings that fluctuates between the real and the un-real, dream and reality. "My work deals with the mind where the private politics of desire, passion, terror and joy play," Anju explains.