शरीर

The work

Dharti Balasaheb Kaware, of Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai, paints the body of a woman as a sign of freedom and selfhood. The title, शरीर, means body. A tall nude woman stands on the right. Her hand covers her face. A white bird rests on her shoulder. Pale heads float around her. Two red birds with long beaks stand near. Kaware works in layers. The artist scrapes, erases and rebuilds. Traces of earlier surfaces stay visible, like rust-coloured lace on a warm sand ground.

In the artist’s words

“I am interested in the inner and outer dimensions of womanhood, where the body becomes a symbol of natural existence, freedom, vulnerability and selfhood rather than an object of representation. Faces, masks, birds and other forms become metaphors for identity, observation, restriction and release. I work through layers, scraping, erasing and rebuilding, allowing traces of earlier surfaces to remain visible.”