Anju Dodiya "Face to Face" Solo Exhibition

Anju Dodiya "Face to Face (After Kuniyoshi)" Solo Exhibition: On view from September 4 to October 9 at Galerie Daniel Templon. Anju Dodiya (born 1964) is one of India's most representative contemporary painters, holding her first solo exhibition in Paris. Her paintings, with their diverse styles and imagery, possess a rich global character, drawing inspiration from traditional images worldwide: such as Italian Renaissance painting, French medieval tapestries, Japanese ukiyo-e prints, Indian miniatures, or pictures from newspapers.

Evidently, her dramatic paintings revolve around uniquely personal imagery, exploring the various conflicts between one's inner world and external reality. She excels in watercolor and acrylic, creating distinctive paintings with rich, ink-like textural variations. This new "Face to Face" series on paper is a meticulous creation using watercolor and charcoal.

This series is inspired by the prints of the 19th-century Japanese ukiyo-e master Utagawa Kuniyoshi and the samurai he revered (1847-1848). The artist views artistic creation as akin to martial arts; in the ritual of studio practice, isn't it like a battle where it's inevitably "you die or I live"? In this series, she transforms herself into a brave, skilled warrior, alone in the studio facing herself and her acts of creation or combat. With an unrestrained, imaginative creative atmosphere, facing the white canvas and time, within a framework of bold print-like lines, subdued colors, and an ethereal ink-wash ambiance, she constructs a sense of imminent explosive force and sensitivity.

It is as if it were an act of exorcism and rebellion, all conveyed through the contrast between stirring dramatic themes and the substantial quality of the painting.