Art & Charlie open their second exhibition
Dasht-Gard
A solo exhibition by Shad Fatima
At the gallery’s new space in the creative hub of Bandra (West), Mumbai
The exhibition will be on view till 5th August
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
The poetic title of the exhibition - Dasht-Gard (add in Hindi / Urdu) - translates to mean ‘wanderer or lover or madman’. Presenting two distinct bodies of work, Shad Fatima’s exhibition is an ode to the vulnerability, strength and defiance of the ‘wandering spirit’ - an impulse that the artist believes sits within us all. In this solo exhibition, Bhopal-based artist Shad Fatima begins with a series of portraits and ceramic sculptures that portray eccentric, fantastical characters who defy the conventional markers of identity. Within the understated palette, carefully chosen flashes of colour symbolise the complexity and indomitable spirit of the characters. Created as gestures of uninhibited fantasy, Shad’s portraits and sculptures might remind one of the lush and vivid world of avant garde filmmaker Sergei Parajanov’s seminal film The Colour of Pomegranates.
The exhibition also carries a series of abstract monochrome landscapes - a delicate web of skillful brushstrokes and textures that evoke a sense of the balance of life and our interconnected roles and experiences within this beautiful, complex matrix that is the human experience. In a society that often categorises individuals based on rigid constructs, Shad Fatima reminds us that we are all wanderers on a collective journey, united by the threads of our interdependence.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Shad Fatima is a Bhopal-based artist with a distinctive style of work. The figures she works with often seem destitute, helpless rebels of their cause, unable to fight their opposition. Their androgynous forms are an acknowledgement to the non-binary world we live in.
Growing up, Shad learnt to find ways to express herself through her canvases, primarily as an outlet for her voice that felt stifled in the real world. In her worst moments of anger and frustration or simply escapism, she turned to paint, creating characters that had a personality and a world of their own. Shad’s work speaks to the countless women who do not have a voice in society. Shad was selected for the 7th Beijing International Art Biennale China in 2017 and has received awards such as SH Raza Award in Painting and Avishkar Van Gogh Award. Her work has been exhibited at the Creatives Rising digital exhibition in New York, the Kanoria Center for Arts Ahmedabad, Lalit Kala Academy and Art Society of India.
Date 08-06-2023
