Dive deep into a woman's unfiltered emotions with this exhibition at Method Juhu

Unread story (right) My world

Veteran artist Santosh Jain is known for her work that speaks volumes on women, their emotions and feelings. Tapping into a woman's life and what lies hidden beneath the surface has been a recurring theme in this artist's career. The New Delhi-based artist is now back with another zinger exhibition that will display 24 paintings that capture women in their most authentic essence, unguarded and unreserved form.

Titled Her, Here, the artworks are acrylic on canvas, took three years to finish and will be on display at Method Juhu from Friday. "Every woman has a story to tell. Almost every woman I have met in my life, has loads to say and share [including me]. I deep dive into these emotions and feelings and put it on the canvas, using warm colour tones" explains Jain. The work depicts women in their most natural state, alone and bare, free to be herself, no charades and no preconceived roles to fulfil.

"In one of the paintings, there's a vast landscape, and a lady is sitting alone. There's loneliness in her life. This work depicts that you can have a lot in life and even have everything in life, but yet, can feel lonely," Jain says about this emotion that she captured on canvas.

Santosh Jain

To prepare for this exhibition, Jain, along with three female artists, painted together over a period of 1.5 years in one room. "Surprisingly, all three of us had different approaches and thoughts. People said you paint together and intend to influence each other but that never happened. I loved those memories of working together, having tea, snacks, and endless discussions together. It was beautiful," she explains about her method.

Explaining the meaning of the name of the exhibition Her, Here, the artist says, "Her refers to woman, her emotions, her sufferings, her journey and what she has gone through. And ‘here' refers to now; I am transferring their emotions on canvas. She is now here."

Jain is known for using lithography, collages, paintings, photographs; and photography mixed media which is a play of her original photographs of the everyday with art softwares and conventional inks, pastels, pen and charcoal. "I am experimental by nature. For this exhibition, I have done acrylics on canvas and then I was playing with marbling to see how it would look. And it looked great. So I used marbling to add figures. I loved how well everything blended and the effect it gave," elucidates the painter.

Interestingly, Jain doesn't title most of her paintings anymore, as she observed that it would influence how people saw the story she was trying to convey through her work. "When I started leaving my works untitled, people began interpreting them in their own way. I found this really fascinating. The viewers discussing their own versions of the story to it. It is interesting as a journey; to see how people are reacting to my work, and how they are reinterpreting it," Jain signs off.

On: September 8 to October 1
Time: 10:30 am to 7 pm
At: Method Juhu Armaan Bungalow, 23 Hatkesh Society, Juhu.