“The plight of the Dalit women symbolically moving from darkness to light signifies hope,” artist Ranjan Kaul articulates while discussing his poignant painting ‘Slipper and Silver’. This piece draws inspiration from a transformative moment in December last year at Rajavur village in Tamil Nadu’s Madathukulam taluk, Tiruppur district. The historic act of 60 Dalits donning footwear for the first time on the ‘Kambala Naicken Street’, in defiance of age-old oppressions, is immortalized in Kaul’s work, stirring conversations on marginalization within society.
This compelling narrative unfolds at Kaul’s solo exhibition, Within, Without, held at the Urban Fringe gallery in Delhi. Here, over 50 of Kaul’s oil paintings become reflective pools, urging viewers to gaze into the depths of societal norms that have long hindered women’s rights. Kaul transcends traditional forms of expression, adopting a lens of hope, as opposed to despair, to portray the various challenges faced by women across different societal landscapes.
Kaul’s ‘Slippers and Silver’ stands among other evocative pieces at the exhibition, each art work igniting critical thought about the multifaceted adversities women face, from inequality and discrimination to overt sexual harassment. A particularly hard-hitting work is ‘Deal of the Day’, a chilling response to the controversial online app Sulli Deals, which, in 2021, audaciously auctioned Muslim women under the veneer of an app, employing their photographs and personal details.
Another piece, ‘Conquer with Immunity’, boldly confronts the perpetual scourge of sexual harassment, a plight women have borne through the centuries. Yet, it is within the duo of paintings titled ‘Scintilla of Hope’ that Kaul vibrantly invokes the essence of female resilience; the canvas teems with the desire to break free from the firm grip of injustice and inequality.
In the heart-rending depiction of ‘Every Night’, Kaul explores the reality of women coerced into sex work, their survival hinging on the shadows of the night. ‘Ladies in Waiting’ focuses on a different facet of the same grim milieu, capturing the predicament of aging sex workers who confront the dwindling of clientele, a stark commentary on society’s disregard for their humanity, as evident in their hauntingly expressive visages.
Each oil painting is a testament to Kaul’s astute storytelling, with ‘Deal of the Day’ offering a silent but powerful narrative, laying bare the unacceptable commodification of women’s identities.
Drawing literary parallels, Kaul finds a kindred voice in Percy Shelley’s poem, ‘The Masque of Anarchy’, equating the chaos created by fake news to anarchy. His canvas becomes an arena for symbolism and satire, targeting the cultural paralysis induced by society’s unyielding beauty standards that surface, quite facetiously, at cocktail parties.
“The primary focus of my exhibition is on an imaginative articulation of what I believe are the disruptive and disquieting conditions we are living in today,” shares Kaul. He leverages a diverse arsenal of narrative devices from mythology, literary motifs, flora symbolism, and even human-animal hybrid figures to convey his poignant messages.
The exhibition at Urban Fringe – the underground studio, located at F15 basement, Okhla Phase 1, continues to invoke deep reflections and conversations until April 22, opening its doors from 11:30 am to 6 pm. Within Kaul’s art, there lies a stirring reminder of the urgent need for societal change, offering a glimpse of hope amidst the pain, a tribute to the indomitable spirit of women fighting for a dignified existence, free from the chains of discrimination.
