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Mint
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
Artist Madhvi Parekh presents fantastical worlds in a new solo show
At DAG, Delhi, an exhibition of paintings offers insight into artist Madhvi Parekh's prowess as a storyteller. The solo presentation, Madhvi Parekh: Remembered Tales, features a set of newly completed works by the 83-year-old artist. Canvases often feature narratives nestled within one another. In Goddess of My Village, an acrylic on canvas (2023), two heads appear to be connected by a tapering tubular form. This slender conduit, of sorts, contains smaller figures—plants, fish, fantastical organisms—creating a world within a world. You could assume that the two connected figures have subsumed these smaller creatures, or that their overall persona is the sum of all these little beings. The painting also features deities within temples, anthropomorphic creatures with human heads and piscine bodies, totemlike structures, and more. In another part of the gallery, another set of stories unfurls within Pond in my Village (2024). The scene seems to be set in some surrealistic realm, where the city and the village, the real and the dreamlike come together. Parekh populates her worlds with patterns, dots, dashes, embroidery-like textures, hybrid beings, and leaves their interpretation to the viewer. I meet Parekh at her home in Delhi's Chittaranjan Park in between spells of rain. The self-taught artist is a reluctant conversationalist, but her paintings speak a great deal on her behalf. In her creations, time frames collapse into one another, the past exists with the present. She brings scenes from the city and her memories of growing up in the village of Sanjaya, Gujarat, together in a single canvas with ease. The bird or pakshi is a recurring motif. It stands as a symbol of a free-spirited being, who travels between memories and geographies. To me, it represents Parekh herself, who takes the viewer by the hand on this time travel. The wide-eyed figures, which have become so emblematic of her practice, continue to make their presence felt in works such as Flower Vase in My Family (2024) and the triptych Travelling Circus in My Village, as representations of curious seekers. Also read: Planner: A lot of art with a side of theatre, 5 events to enjoy a cultural weekend Also on display at the exhibition are her sketchbooks, featuring drawings spanning 1978 to 2018, from DAG's archive, which show the evolution of the artist—from using textured backgrounds in the 1970s to the way she has built on everyday observations in her practice over time. 'For me, drawing is the foundation of everything. It offers a sense of freedom. Even now, while waiting at airports, I carry a book in which I keep sketching," she says. Accompanying the exhibition is a publication featuring scholarly pieces on Parekh's practice by Rebecca Brown of John Hopkins University and critic-writer Meera Menezes. Parekh often harks to the past in her conversations. 'Puraane dino ki baatein karne mein bohot accha lagta hai (It feels great to reminisce about the olden days)," she laughs. She lives with memories of ponds, mustard fields, temples, wedding processions, circus performers and behrupiyas (impersonator), who would visit her village during festivals. Parekh was raised with Gandhian philosophy propagated by her father, who was an educator. 'I grew up with three sisters and two brothers, and my father never discriminated between us. He was a selfmade man, who taught us the value of hard work and the importance of making full use of time," she reminisces. She got married to artist Manu Parekh at the age of 15 and moved to Mumbai, where they stayed in a small fifth floor apartment. There, everyday urban struggles took over, from water troubles to daily chores. Even then, art made inroads into her life. The couple would visit exhibitions at Jehangir Art Gallery and have elaborate discussions. She was in her 20s and pregnant with her oldest daughter, Manisha, when she decided to pursue art herself. 'I wanted to give my child a good sanskar (culture). So, I decided to take up something creative," she says. Also read: Morii Design: How a Gandhinagar-based studio is sewing up a stitch library Her husband, who had studied at Sir JJ School of Art, introduced her to Paul Klee's Pedagogical Sketchbook, and Parekh started experimenting with geometrical forms. She formed her own connections with memories of paintings on walls in her village during weddings and festivals and created her own language of dots and lines. The resulting vocabulary was so unique that even now experts find it hard to categorise it as a specific genre or style. Some find elements of primitivism while others see the folk imprint. 'At most, it can be said that her work parallels folk art, even though it is not like any known folk form in India or elsewhere, and has the rawness and energy associated with modernism," states the gallery note. It is this distinctive style that has seen Parekh in the international spotlight in recent years. In 2022, her paintings were chosen by Christian Dior as a backdrop to its haute couture show in Paris. This was followed by a show for Manu and Madhvi Parekh at the Venice Biennale (2024). Parekh's works are now part of major collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Fellow artist and husband, Manu, puts it best: 'She is a modern painter with a rural sensibility. She is not constrained by the idiom of folk art. And that gives her immense scope to evolve and grow." He finds immense depth in the practices of self-taught artists like Parekh and Bhupen Khakhar. 'I find the term 'self-taught' to be a misnomer. They too have learnt from someone and something. Instead of one teacher, they have 10 gurus. Their mind and intellect is their master too," he says. For Parekh, layers of experience have kept building on one another, enriching her visual syntax. The childhood memories of intricate and vibrant paintings on the dome of the Swaminarayan temple in her village, the narrations of Ramayan and Mahabharat during festivals and bhavai performances were joined by visits to international museums and institutions such as the Miro Foundation, Barcelona, with her husband. The paintings of Henri Matisse left a huge impression on her. A visit to the Holocaust History Museum in Jerusalem a few years ago shook her to the core. 'Mann mein dukh lag raha tha (the heart was heavy). That's when I saw the figure of Jesus outside with his composed visage, and I started exploring the figure of Christ in my paintings," she says. Parekh imbibed learnings from fellow artists such as Nalini Malani, who taught her the reverse glass technique. The initial Christ series (2006) were made in this style. Later Parekh started working more with acrylics and canvas. Together with Malani, Arpita Singh and Nilima Sheikh, she also participated in a travelling exhibition called Through the Looking Glass in 1998. Also read: Three Indian galleries expand their presence in London with a unique showcase Textile has also played a huge role in her practice, with influence of kantha, kalamkari and sujani embroideries evident in her work. 'Back in our village, we all learnt embroidery and how to make the rangoli. During my travels, I saw different styles in different parts of the country. The colour scheme and patterns of the rangoli have always held a huge attraction for me," she elaborates. While Manu was posted in Kolkata as part of his work with the Weavers' Service Centre, Parekh was a keen participant in Kali and Durga pujas. The figure of the Goddess and the texture of kantha made its appearance in her work at the time. Meera Menezes, in her essay titled Madhvi Parekh's Fabular Worlds in the accompanying publication, writes about that time period. 'Her painting Ganesha in Boat was sparked by a stray remark—a person recounted to her that they made a Durga in a boat, leading Madhvi to experiment and place the elephant god in a boat. Like Durga, Ganesha too is a popular god, and Madhvi recalls his importance in rituals she experienced while growing up in Gujarat." More than anything else, it is the sense of play in her works that appeals to viewers and critics alike. 'There is always a reel going on in my mind. There used to be a pond in my village. My mother used to prohibit us from going there. In my realm of fantasy, I go there often. Later, when my eldest daughter was born, and I had to go to the Madras Art Camp, I used to wish for wings so that I could go home, feed her and then come back to paint. Such elements make their way from the mind to the canvas," she says. At DAG, New Delhi, till 23 August.
India Today
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Madhvi Parekh's art
Madhvi Parekh's acrylic-on-canvas painting 'Travelling Circus in My Village' (80 x 240 inches, 2024) is one of those large-scale works that simply have to be seen in the flesh. The pixels on your screen cannot come close to reproducing its ambition, its grandeur, its irresistible strangeness. A messianic figure lies at the centre of the triptych, holding a snake aloft like a canopy above his head, the faithful gathering around him slowly. An array of human-animal hybrids fills every corner, the chimeras ranging from a biped cow to a snake with a human head, to a horse that has a human face nestled close to its heart. All the while, a determined-looking man carries a temple on his back. Like the triptychs of Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch, 'Travelling Circus in My Village' tells a story sequentially, and it seems to acquire new details with every fresh glance. The work is part of Madhvi Parekh: Remembered Tales, a solo exhibition at DAG, Delhi, that started on July 11 and shall conclude on August 23. Photo: Bandeep Singh
Indian Express
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘There is a freedom in drawing': Madhvi Parekh on her solo exhibition showcasing sketches from 1978 to 2018
In several ways, artist-couple Madhvi and Manu Parekh's Delhi home reflects the essence of their marriage: a mutual respect for their individual preferences and interests. Between discussions and occasional diverging views, their distinct artistic practices also find space on common walls alongside works of friends and fellow artists such as Ashok Ahuja and Bhupen Khakhar. Looking at the canvas of the late Baroda modernist, Madhvi, 83, recalls how their association grew stronger because both did not receive a formal art education. 'We used to discuss the challenges we faced. When I first began painting on canvas, I felt like crying if I made a mistake. Bhupen taught me how to paint a layer of white on top and do it again. The white background also made the colours brighter,' says Madhvi, days after the opening of her solo, 'Madhvi Parekh: Remembered Tales', at DAG in Delhi. The exhibition that is on till August 23, features her recent canvases alongside a selection of drawings spanning 1978 to 2018. The latter are distinctly more intuitive, offering a glimpse into her creative process, with depictions ranging from figures with fish and birds seated on them to creatures bearing multiple heads. 'There is a freedom in drawing and a certain spontaneity. The different elements that appear on the same page may not always be related or interconnected,' says Madhvi. As she browses through the three-volume publication, titled 'Madhvi Parekh: Early Drawings', she shares how several of these notations have led to larger works, including a Tibetan prayer wheel she encountered during a trip to Ladakh and a vivid village scene where a man is seen lazing on a charpoy, while another figure sits under a tree, on which a bird perches. Several of her works also stem from childhood recollections of growing up in Sanjaya, a village in Gujarat, 60-odd km from Baroda. She recalls how her homemaker mother and educator-ayurvedic practitioner father instilled in their six children early lessons on hard work and optimal utilisation of time. 'I led the best childhood there can be. There was so much natural beauty around and the entire neighbourhood was like a big family. We would sit together in the evenings, embroider, make rangolis during festivals. We used to look forward to attending Ramlila during Navratri and the travelling circuses and behrupiyas, who would make an occasional stop,' recalls Madhvi. One of the larger canvases in the ongoing exhibition, titled 'Travelling Circus in My Village', alludes to some of those outings. The triptych features acrobats, birds, animals, protagonists with horns and other fantastical creatures dancing across the mélange. If 'Pond in my Village' comprises varied scenes from rural settings, in the canvas 'Two Scarecrow in my Rice Field', the titular figures dominate the predominantly black-and-white composition that features numerous reptiles, birds, animals, flying objects and a shrine that seems to be dedicated to fauna. Engaged to artist Manu Parekh when he was 12 and she was nine, and married when she was 15, it was well into her 20s that a then pregnant Madhvi decided to pursue art. Paul Klee's 'Pedagogical Sketchbook' handed to her by Manu became her Bible, that she pored over with careful attention. Within a week, Madhvi was giving Klee's geometric forms a personal twist, adding limbs and wings and placing her figures in more familiar rural landscapes. 'In India, no one after Jamini Roy had really explored this merger of the West and traditional Indian folk, and this became Madhvi's unique language,' says Manu. While raising their two daughters, Manisha and Deepa, took precedence, Madhvi recalls how any spare moment would be spent in practising art and discovering new techniques. Artist-friend Nalini Malani, for instance, taught her the nuances of reverse glass technique that Madhvi adapted in her own way and still extensively employs. Though the diverse exposure she had as a child continues to direct her oeuvre, her experiences and observations from residing in different cities such as Mumbai and Kolkata, and her extensive travels also find expression in her work. Her disturbing visit to the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem in 2004, where she was moved by the testimonies of the victims and the atrocities committed by the Nazis, led her to seek solace in the figure of Christ. After researching numerous depictions, Madhvi reflected on how she had been mesmerised by Leonardo da Vinci's Renaissance masterpiece 'The Last Supper' during a trip to Milan, Italy. She decided to paint her version, imbibing it with diverse folk elements. The series was among the highlights of her first major travelling retrospective 'The Curious Seeker', organised by DAG in 2017-18, and was also part of her solo presentation at Frieze Masters in London in 2022. While her canvas 'The Bird on the Tree' is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the 2024 Venice Biennale saw her and Manu's works being replicated onto intricately embroidered wall art created in collaboration with Karishma Swali's Chanakya School of Craft. 'During the initial years, I had to find time to become an artist and creating a work gives me immense joy,' says Madhvi, adding, 'I paint and sketch what comes to my mind. I am not really affected by what people say.' So the beginnings of her complex narratives still appear relatively simple. A circle forms a face, followed by a square for the body and triangles for limbs — as they come together, a complete figure is born.
