ANJU DODIYA (B. 1964)

Dream-like, mysterious scenes appear in Anju Dodiya's watercolours where she is the main protagonist. "The artist and her doppelgänger engage with each other like Echo and Narcissus in highly charged debate, as if to represent polarities of thought." (G. Sinha, "Feminism and Women Artists in India," Contemporary Indian Art: Other Realities, Marg, March 2002, p. 72)
A misty twilight zone with lovers in a lily pond - a temporary respite from the real world. The car waits at a distance, ready to transport the lovers back to reality. However, a very tense moment occurs as the female with pupil less eyes, submerged in water is in the most vulnerable state reaching out to her lover. His gaze is deceptive; the viewer is left to work through the impending moment. Is he letting her drown or is he there to help her work her way through her predicaments.