Honouring Gogi Saroj Pal with a month of tribute at Taj Mahal Palace, Colaba

Like the mythical figures dominating her canvases the late Gogi Saroj Pal embodied many facets for her friends and acquaintances This weekend DAG will open a retrospective titled Gogi Saroj Pal Mythic Femininities with a walkthrough exhibition that offers an insight into this complex artist whose oeuvre influenced Indian modernismFrom left Kamdhenu 1995 gouache and metallic paint on paperldquoFor someone who delighted in calling herself a bully she was a sweet diminutive and petite womanrdquo recalls Kishore Singh senior vice president DAG He has shared a close working relationship with the artist since 2011 mdash when the gallery hosted her solo exhibit Gogi Saroj Pal The Feminine Unbound ldquoShe had a very genial personality She would always be the one to reach out make phone calls maintain relationships with everyone from her students to fellow artists and friendsrdquo he points out Yet she had a fighting spirit ldquoShe was born into a family of freedom fighters One of her inspirations was her grandmother who refused to wear a veil as a mark of protest This strong stance influenced her Gogi and she embodied it through her practicerdquo Singh informs usKishore Singh with the artistrsquos sculpture I Will Draw My Own Laxman Rekha in the backgroundWhile the vast collection on display ranges across six decades of the artistrsquos work the highlights remain the artistrsquos female protagonists mdash nayikas kinnaris hathyoginis and kamdhenus ldquoShe borrows these mythological figures and raises questions about patriarchyrdquo Singh says While the traditional nayikas in the Kangra Rajput and Pahari schools of art are portrayed in the context of longing or in wait for their lovers Gogi Saroj Palrsquos nayikas are lsquoselfcontentedrsquo he notes ldquoThese figures rarely look out of the image or confront or engage with the viewer They have an internal gazerdquo The Kamdhenu he says is another iteration of the idea ldquoThe mythology of Kamdhenu is about fulfilling the hunger and needs of nations nobody asks the Kamdhenu itself what she wantedrdquoArtist Madhavi Parekh takes in the exhibition at Delhi in AprilPal brought to these traditional and cultural stereotypes a sensitive feminism ldquoFor her feminism was about choices and patriarchy She believed that nature has devised women in such a way that it has given her certain roles that she cannot escape What she does therefore is raise questionsrdquo Singh shares While the artist had previously approached the subject of the marginalisation in works like the Young Monks series and of women in the Mandi series it was the unfortunate passing of her son that moved something Singh adds ldquoIt is then that she went back to her roots to nurture herself to understand what being a woman is all about That is when her nayikas kinnaris and kamdhenus emergerdquoRelationship oil on canvas 1980The current retrospective was actually conceptualised while the artist was still living ldquoRarely do I get a chance to dedicate two independent exhibitions entirely to a single artist Gogi Saroj Pal Mythic Femininities has been in development since the beginning of 2023 and all of us within the organisation wanted Gogi to be the centre of the exhibition when we opened our doors But the threads of destiny had other plans and we lost the artist on January 27 hardly two months before the planned inaugurationrdquo shares Ashish Anand CEO and MD DAG The Mumbai retrospective is the second edition following the one in Delhi earlier this yearGogi Saroj PalAmong the works shown will also be the large sculptures of hathyoginis and Kalis created in her last decade In addition to the exhibits there will be the eponymous book with contributions from authors Roobina Karode Urvashi Butalia as well as the late artistrsquos husband Ved Nayar and family to be dedicated as an homageSingh concludes ldquoShe belongs to that early batch of women artists who as a group came to the forefront demanding a space in public arenas Every one of them has a distinctive language and within them Gogi took up a unique position as someone whose artworks are recognisable She brought in elements of modernism with tradition that became a potent voice for Indian art around the worldrdquoFrom July 6 to August 17 11 am to 7 pm except SundaysAT DAG The Taj Mahal Palace Apollo Bunder Colaba