This artist explores womanhood and superstition at Madras Art Salon

Three women clasp the thread of beingness betwixt them. A flock of crows, matchboxes, chillies, lemons, and drishti bommais recur crossed canvases. In creator Zehra Marikar’s archetypal showcase successful Chennai since returning from London, mythology, superstition, and womanhood intertwine successful a assemblage of enactment that examines what it means to determination done the satellite arsenic a woman. Working chiefly successful acrylic connected canvas, Zehra portrays women successful vivid, dreamlike compositions afloat of talismanic objects.

Her works volition beryllium connected show astatine the 3rd variation of The Madras Art Salon, organised by Madras Art Weekend successful collaboration with the British Deputy High Commission, Chennai, and The Botanical Club . The erstwhile editions featured Narayan Lakshman and Shrikar Madiraju successful April and May respectively. “We wanted this to beryllium a monthly lawsuit that promotes and supports some emerging and established artists. The absorption is much oregon little connected Madras-based artists. We are precise keen to spotlight the modern artists of our metropolis and springiness them visibility,” says Upasana Asrani, founder, Madras Art Weekend.

Zehra’s accumulation brings unneurotic themes that person travel to specify her signifier since returning to Chennai. “A batch of my creation deals with femininity and the travel from girlhood to womanhood, and what that looks similar successful an Indian nine successful examination to a Western society. It besides deals a batch with familial dynamics and superstition,” says Zehra, adding that she became progressively fascinated by the mundane superstitions that permeate Indian life, from drishti bommais to strings of chillies and lemons, and the ways successful which women are often positioned wrong those content systems. There are besides references to Hindu and Greek mythology successful her works.

Interestingly, Zehra is 1 of 3 girls calved arsenic triplets. . Is that possibly wherefore her works prominently diagnostic trios? In her In Who Let the Dogs Out, 3 dogs inspired by Cerberus, the three-headed hound that guards the underworld successful Greek mythology, travel figures modelled connected Zehra and her sisters. “I grew up successful an all-women household and usually men are seen arsenic the protectors of the home, but for maine it was ever the women,” says Zehra.

Elsewhere, recurring crows, birds and talismanic objects go symbols done which the creator explores protection, luck, duality, and belonging. One of the largest works successful the show, The Fates, draws connected the Greek mythological figures who power the thread of life. The coating depicts Zehra and her sisters holding scissors, yarn, and thread. “I was reasoning a batch astir beingness and death, our choices, however we participate and exit life, the decisions that marque america who we are, and the superstitions attached to beingness and death,” she says walking done the space. 

While recurring symbols and mythological references tally done the works, Zehra says the paintings are seldom planned successful detail. “I americium a precise unconscious painter. I overgarment and past I benignant of recognize wherever I’m going with it. I deliberation a coating is simply a travel successful itself. You commencement with a feeling and you extremity with a antithetic feeling,” she says. 

For Zehra, mundane objects are reminders that creation does not beryllium lone wrong assemblage spaces. “Art is everywhere. You don’t request to enactment it up connected a assemblage partition for it to beryllium art. It’s connected buses, connected matchboxes, connected the road, it’s connected the signs,” she says. 

The Madras Art Salon’s 3rd amusement is unfastened to the nationalist connected June 12 and 13 from 6pm to 7pm on with the creator walkthrough. To register, interaction 9790851114. Limited spots available.