The Girl in the Picture

Two photography exhibitions in the city capture the many moods of a woman.

Going through the photo exhibition titled To Be A Woman,one cannot help but hum Elvis Costellos popular number She is a million things in a day. The display on the walls of Government Museum and Art Gallery,features 111 works by 65 photographers who have tried to project every little detail of their female protagonists,from their mood to the sparkle in their eyes and grace in their movements. The images depict their courage,strength,weakness,responsibilities,passion and dreams.

If in one frame a woman with an axe stares back at you,in another black-and-white image a petite lady wearing a red bindi smiles. The exhibition brings out the best and worst in women, says Harvinder Singh,whose work titled We Have Won captures the expressions of Manipuri girls after they win a football match on a rain-washed afternoon. Ashwani Verma,on the other hand,brings the golden moments of womanhood to the forefront with a picture of a mother and child playing during sunset. When it comes to managing relationships,nobody does it better than women. Its the beauty of these relationships that a lot of us have tried to capture, says Sharan Pal Singh.

The contrasting lives led by women also comes to the forefront in the exhibition. So if one frame has a bride loaded with jewellery,another has a woman sleeping on the footpath. Charanjeet Dhimans work has a lady in traditional attire at Surajkund Mela and a man dressed like a woman.

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While this exhibition is a result of All India Photography Competition that was organised by Haryana Tourism

Corporation in association with Haryana Census in March and April this year,at another exhibition titled Inner Self,artists Savita Sharma and Polly Kaur paint women in distress. They portray women who have been suppressed and are anxiously looking for an outlet. One of Sharmas paintings,titled Freedom,has a woman sitting by the window,looking at a white pigeon flying and another frame has a woman with an aquarium in her hand. For the opening of the exhibition,Jaipur-based Sharma painted herself in the colour of mud and sat enclosed in a cage with an aquarium in her hand. It is my way to stand up against injustice towards women. I was also forced to live in confinement for many years,but not now, says Sharma. LN Nagas brass sculpture titled Society depicts stifling of the girl child.

The aim of this exhibition is to communicate different viewpoints through the universal language of art, says Rozy Varinder Kaur,curator of the show,as she introduces the artists. If Anand Kumar portrays different perspectives through his sculptures,Naresh Kumar has installations inspired from Gandhis spinning wheel and Mohammed A Patel from Karnataka celebrates the festivals and customs of his region through digital media. The other prominent artists who have put up their work include Shiv Singh,Ravinder Sharma,Madan Lala,DS Kapoor and Ranjodh Singh.

To Be A Woman is on at Government Museum and Art Gallery,Sector 10,till September 11 and Inner Self is on at Punjab Kala Bhawan,Sector 16,till September 12.

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