An artist known for her strong female protagonists

For internationally celebrated artist Rekha Rodwittiya, painting has always been a free form of expression that allows her to engage in a heartfelt dialogue with herself and others.

A recurring motif in her bold-hued paintings is the female figure that represents shades of feminine emotions, concerns and persona sans objectifying them. Her female protagonists are often elevated to iconic proportions. They can simultaneously occupy multiple avatars.

In very clear form, the works explain the artist’s viewpoint that female empowerment and its attendant baggage is rather a complex issue. A staunch feminist, she believes that in spite of the gender inequality, a multitude of voices still express the desire to dispel the stereotype of gender bias, and look to accommodate the complex changes we know to be real. This strong social consciousness may well be attributed to a ‘strange kind of sophisticated otherness’ instilled in her by her parents.

Her father worked in the air force. Growing up in a rather isolated camp life, her creative self became her companion. In fact, she always wanted to be a painter. Born in Bangalore in 1958, Rekha Rodwittiya’s did her B.A.(Fine Arts) at Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (1976-81) and M.A.(Painting) from Royal College of Art, London (1982-84).

Having practiced Photography under Prof. Jyoti Bhatt, she studied Film & Video at Fulham Institute, London (1982-83). She received Inlaks Scholarship in 1982, and was also invited for a residency project at The Konsthogskolan Art College courtesy Svenska Institute, Sweden (1988-89).

The artist describes herself as a colorist for whom it’s not an element she needs to struggle with. According to her, metaphors culled from specific sources of reference, get transformed by virtue of how they are finally delivered, to evoke wider meanings. Interestingly, the male figure has gradually disappeared from her work. She employed expressionistic language in her early works. Though the concerns largely remain the same, now the negotiations are different.