Narratives

This exhibition brings together the evocative works of Suraj Kumar Dolui and Oliva Saha, examining the enduring role of women as silent architects of cultural identity. Through their distinct practices, the artists delve into themes of resilience, tradition, and self-expression, capturing the nuanced interplay between personal experiences and broader societal narratives.

The exhibition presents the sculptural interpretations as the extension to their practice where Suraj Kumar Dolui employs dolls as props to his artworks offering an amusing contrast to the roles that women play in the social orders rather reducing them to be played around or as dolls for mere play. Artist Suraj Kumar Dolui’s works draw inspiration from rural Bengal, particularly the Bagdi community, where women balance labor and creativity within the rhythms of agrarian life. His use of natural materials and techniques, such as printmaking and performance, creates a layered exploration of the intersection between cultural memory and domestic artistry. The gestures embedded in everyday activities—like the application of cow dung and soil to walls—serve as metaphors for resilience and the seamless integration of creativity into daily routines.

In contrast, Oliva Saha’s practice is deeply introspective, rooted in her experiences as a woman navigating identity and escape. Her works explore the materiality of surfaces, employing pigments, stains, and textures to evoke emotions tied to memory and transformation. By experimenting with medium and form, Oliva reflects on the complexities of womanhood, using objects and motifs as metaphors for personal narratives.

The exhibition situates the feminine experience within a continuum of cultural evolution, celebrating the unspoken yet profound contributions of women to collective memory and tradition. Drawing upon the language of materiality, performance, and abstraction, the artists offer a poetic meditation on the intersection of individual and collective histories.

Oliva resorts to the pitcher as a cultural and three dimensional form exerting conundrums around the object, women and its historic multicultural rhetoric to Indian and or Greek vases.

"Resonances of Resilience" invites viewers to engage with the artistry of women’s lives, tracing the cultural, emotional, and physical imprints they leave on society. The exhibition honors the transformative power of the feminine spirit in shaping narratives that resonate across time and space. "