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Lot 19

 

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Anju Dodiya's paintings are "...elegant subterfuges, ruses, games that trick you into playing by rules you do not fully understand: this may explain the artist's constant need to stage a masque, to change and exchange robes, to enter and exit chambers of dream, performing an erotics of dissembling in which the chief gesture is not exposure, but instead new ways of dressing the self." (Nancy Adajania, "Tasting the Acid Kiss", Anju Dodiya: The... Anju Dodiya's paintings are "...elegant subterfuges, ruses, games that trick you into playing by rules you do not fully understand: this may explain the artist's constant need to stage a masque, to change and exchange robes, to enter and exit chambers of dream, performing an erotics of dissembling in which the chief gesture is not exposure, but instead new ways of dressing the self." (Nancy Adajania, "Tasting the Acid Kiss", Anju Dodiya: The Cloud-hunt, Vadehra Art Gallery Exhibition Catalogue, New Delhi, 2005). Many of her works from the late 1990s are watercolours, but her works on mattresses marked an important milestone in her artistic trajectory.

Dodiya introduced mattresses as a medium to work on following her encounter with tapestries of The Lady and the Unicorn (c.1500) at the Musee de Cluny, Paris. Unlike their delicate intricacy from which she drew inspiration, her own mattresses were often "attacked... with lumps of acrylic paint, in a treatment suggestive of impasto" (Ibid., pg.8) These mattresses added a rich texture and volume to her subjects. At a symbolic level, the mattress, through its association with sleeping, induces a surreal feel to her oeuvre. For Dodiya, "because a mattress is a bed it threw off new ideas that had to do with my areas of interest and content. I got to thinking more about bodies and relationships and sleep and dreams" (Anju Dodiya, Bose Pacia Exhibition Catalogue, 2006). More importantly, the female form has featured in most of her works as a character around whom the story is woven. The mattress then takes on an added significance. In an interview with Gieve Patel, Dodiya explains her choice: "There are many little things...that come up in the new work that I am doing with fabric. These are traditional feminine areas that have to do with embroidery and color....They are traditional feminine areas of working." (Ibid.)

The present lot hinges on a dreamlike setting. The dark palette that dominates it shrouds the woman in mystery. Her barely visible features show her head bent, gaze unwavering, mulling over something. By her side are a bunch of flowers about to bloom. The unlit chandelier remains distinct, and draws the viewer's attention-it beckons to be lit. The title aids the imagery, works in tandem with it, suggesting an urgency in resolving a matter not known to the viewer. One can surmise a conflict in the mind of the protagonist, supplemented by the metaphors surrounding her-a desire to break free from confusion and achieve clarity. Dodiya's palette and composition work well in heightening the suspense and tension of the scene.

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