ANJU DODIYA

Anju Dodiya includes aspects of self-portraiture in many of her works. The protagonists of her meticulous watercolours, intense charcoal drawings and sumptuous acrylic paintings on upholstery and mattresses are all fictive alter-egos cast into a variety of whimsical, theatrical and sometimes violent scenarios. Masquerade and theatre are central motifs, and objects and personas from these imaginary realms: elaborate masks, costumes, magicians, actors, and harlequins: all permeate the paintings. Her compositions and imagery are drawn from a wide spectrum of sources ranging from Medieval and Renaissance painting and tapestry and Japanese Ukio-e prints to European films and mass media images.