The group exhibition In Order To Join brings together 14 female artists (born between 1947 and 1957) from India and the world to chart a visual history of feminism. “This time bracket was selected specifically to display the work made by women born in and affected by the post-war, post-Partition era; women who engaged with a political framework,” says Swapnaa Tamhane, co-curator of the exhibition.
Curated by German art historian Susan Titz and Tamhane, the exhibit takes off from Indian Muslim artist Rummana Hussain (1952-1999) who was very vocal about her alienation as a Muslim woman in post-Ayodhya India. Her work takes centre stage amongst a generation of women artists including Ana Mendieta, Rosemarie Trockel, Mona Hatoum, Sheela Gowda and Pushpamala N, who have spent their formative years in moments of international conflict (from the Cold War to oil wars to racial classification to religious divides). “This is especially relevant now, given the status and safety of women in India recently; the exhibition hopes to spur relevant conversation in relation to present-day questions about the subject,” explains Tamhane.
In Order To Join: The Political In A Historical Moment is on display from February 26 to April 10 at Galerie Max Mueller and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai.
