Tiger by the Tail!

“Tiger by the Tail! Women Artists of India Transforming Culture”
Oct. 2 – Dec. 14, 2007
Kniznick Gallery, Women’s Studies Research Center and
Mildred Lee Gallery, Rose Art Museum
Brandeis University

Contemporary Indian art offers enlightening look at issues of feminism, gender and sexuality
Women's Studies Research Center presents an extraordinary traveling exhibition curated by Brandeis and Indian scholars

WALTHAM, Mass. – As Indian art breaks forth on the global scene, women artists are leading the way. This fall, the Women’s Studies Research Center at Brandeis University will host an exhibition of contemporary Indian art that challenges social oppression and gender discrimination, and provides new models for the empowerment of women.

Opening Tuesday, Oct. 2 and continuing through Friday, Dec. 14, “Tiger by the Tail! Women Artists of India Transforming Culture” features the provocative painting, sculpture, drawing, photography and video art of 17 established artists. Much of the work responds to ongoing patriarchal aggression and communal violence in India.
The title of the exhibit, “Tiger by the Tail!” refers to Indian women who claim their agency and speak out, shining a spotlight on some of the most important issues for women in contemporary society, not just in India, but globally.

The 35 pieces comprising “Tiger by the Tail!” are organized around universal narratives: Transforming the Myth; Subverting the Icon; Performing the Body; Issues of Identity; Memory and Loss; and Healing and Empowerment.

The exhibiting artists at the WSRC are: Navjot Altaf, Arpana Caur, Kanchan Chander, Sheba Chhachhi, Anju Dodiya, Anita Dube, Rummana Hussain, Nalini Malani, Pushpamala N. and Clare Arni, Gogi Saroj Pal, Shukla Sawant, Mithu Sen, Nilima Sheikh, Arpita Singh and Vasudha Thozhur. The video installations at the Rose Art Museum, coordinated by WSRC Resident Scholar Nancy Salzer, are works by Navjot Altaf, Shilpa Gupta and Sonia Khurana.

“Tiger by the Tail!” will travel to Rutgers University (Jan. 15 – July 31, 2008), the University of Pennsylvania (Aug. 23 – Oct. 27, 2008), American University (Jan. 24 – May 29, 2009) and the University of Miami (June 27 – Oct. 11, 2009).

For additional information about events related to the exhibit, visit http://www.brandeis.edu/centers/wsrc/arts/comingsoon.html