Thooriga show in Hyderabad: Through the eyes of a woman

Discover the diverse artistry of five Chennai-based female artists at Thooriga The 4th Collective Exhibit 2024 in Hyderabad.

With more than 40 works on display, Thooriga The 4th Collective Exhibit 2024, a new art show to be unveiled this weekend in Hyderabad, has a wide canvas. ‘Thooriga’, meaning ‘paintbrush’ in Tamil showcases the works of five Chennai-based artists — Charanya Rajesh, Gayathri Balaji, Sathya N Prabhu, Yamuna Bala and Subhashree Sridhar, for the first time in Hyderabad.

The women as a team had earlier had shows at Artworld Sarala’s Art Centre and Taj Vivanta in Chennai and Auroville, Pondicherry. The Hyderabad exhibition is their ‘4th exhibit’

Inspired by realism, Charanya Rajesh likes to paint portraits and figuratives. Her nine works in oil pastels celebrate womanhood and highlight the bond women share with Nature, flora and fauna in the Indian cultural context. “I like to portray different aspects of womanhood — their courage, kindness, inner strength, and beauty through art,” she says.

The artist also pays tribute to Madurai, her hometown in Devotion, a painting depicting a Tamil woman in a traditional sari with a parrot. Charnaya calls the woman Meenakshi, a form of Goddess Paravati and explains, “The woman is in love with Lord Shiva and longs for Him.”

Gayathri Balaji’s works in acrylic and mixed media narrate stories of the marvels of Indian temple architecture. On choosing sculptures in temples as subjects of her paintings, she says, “I have always been fascinated by sculptures, especially the magnificent Belur sculptures; one wonders how these stone sculptures were created so many centuries ago with no modern sculpting tools and equipment.” The artist recreates the stone effect with textures in ‘Swapna Sundari’ to depict the beauty of a woman coyly looking at a mirror.

Passionate about art, she tries different mediums and plays with colours to explore the artscape. When not painting, she travels and takes photographs to use as reference for her paintings.

Tamil Nadu’s rich traditions influence artist Sathya N Prabhu who blends contemporary and traditional styles in her eight acrylic paintings. Adept at handling different mediums and printmaking, the artist captures the essence of Indian culture and epics.