Rekha Rodwittiya’s iconic female figures loom large. An amalgamation of Indian classical and tribal images, Rodwittiya’s asexual goddesses evade easy categorization. Currently in her solo exhibition Rituals of Memory at Aicon Gallery, they command an uncanny presence and beg scrutiny.
In her Rekha@50 series, oversized, naked female figures take center stage in large canvases measuring 84 by 60 inches. Striking oddly playful and audacious postures with lamps in their hands or a snake wound around their legs, or even freezing in the midst of a yogic posture, these unconventional female depictions portrayed in strident colors are brimful of poise and empowerment. Rodwittiya’s inspiration for these tenacious, talismanic subjects began with her early inquiry into gender politics as an art student in the 1970s when figuration was at the height of being reinvented, and a personal quest about her own identity as a highly independent Indian woman took shape. In a Q&A at the gallery with Daniel Herwitz, a professor of humanities at the University of Michigan, Rodwittiya spoke of her time at the Royal College of Art in London and temporary distance from India that led her to the idea of creating a “static but animated figure” that incorporated her desire to address the violent gender politics in her home country. Her figures came to embody a unique sense of identity that not only represent her own conception of Indian culture, but also devised a “space of resistance,” against female subjugation.
Similarly, in “Matters of the Heart (Figure IV)” (2014), a seated figure with a sword in her hand is replete with images of lush landscapes and golden facades that adorn her like a garb. Reminiscent of the sword-bearing Rani of Jhansi — who led the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British Raj — the fearless Indian Joan of Arc comes through. Drawn with great attention to proportion, symmetry, and balance, handbags, paintbrushes, keys, tools, and pets embellish Rodwittiya’s subjects like ornaments. While some figures in the Matters of the Heart series appear to be more masculine than others, Rodwittiya’s lack of concern with overt femininity seeps through.
Rekha Rodwittiya: The Rituals of Memory: Personal Folklores and Other Tales continues at Aicon Gallery (35 Great Jones St, East Village, Manhattan) through February 27
