A staunch feminist’s assertive oeuvre

Rekha Rodwittiya’s protagonists often get elevated to iconic proportions, and can attain multiple personas simultaneously. Born in Bangalore in 1958, the proud daughter of a fighter pilot and one of pioneering women cricketers from India, she did her B.A. (Fine Arts) at Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University of Baroda and M.A. (Painting) from Royal College of Art, London.

Having practiced photography under Jyoti Bhatt, she later studied Film & Video techniques at Fulham Institute, London (1982-83). A recipient of Inlaks Scholarship, she also featured in a residency project at The Konsthogskolan Art College courtesy Svenska Institute, Sweden.

Among her major solos are 'rekha@fifty', Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai (2008); ‘Second Skin’, The Air Gallery, London (2007); ‘Once Upon A Time….’, Shridharani Gallery, New Delhi (2006); ‘Encrypted Soliloquies’, Singapore (2005); 'Bye Bye Baby!', Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai (2003); and a show at Art Amsterdam in 2000.

Her recent significant group exhibitions and participations include 'Pause: A Collection', at Sakshi, Mumbai; 'Back to School: Baroda 1979-89', Palette Art Gallery, New Delhi; 'Dali's Elephant', Aicon Gallery, London; 'Singularities', RL Fine Arts, New York; 'Long Gone & Living Now', Gallerie Mirchandani + Steinreucke, Mumbai; 'Zip Files', Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai.

‘Manifestations V', Delhi Art Gallery, Delhi; 'Roots in the Air, Branches Below', San Jose Museum of Art; 'The Intuitive: Logic Revisted', from the Osians Collection at The World Economic Forum, Davos; and 'Finding India: Art for the New century' at Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Taipei are her other noteworthy participations.

A solo of her fresh works, entitled ‘Intangible Interlocution: an Anthology of Belonging’ at the Mumbai based Sakshi gallery, provided a kaleidoscopic view of her oeuvre in three distinct segments. A few years ago, the venue had hosted major retrospective exhibition, encapsulating the core of her life and art practice. The mixed acrylic & oil works tried to balance out the male/ female inequality.

‘Letters of the Universe: When the Sun and the Moon Fall Asleep, Only Then Can I Dance so Naked’, as part of her latest showcase at the gallery, incorporated watercolor paintings with popular stickers plus some personal memorabilia. ‘An Anatomy of Recollection’ comprised digital inkjet prints of intense autobiographic photo-images. Lastly, ‘Diagrams of an Interior Space’ included acrylics and oils on canvases.