The Politics of Hair
Special Correspondent

“I feel there is something unexplored about a woman that only a
woman can explore.” —Georgia O’Keeffe

Ritu Kamath’s studio is a hive of activity as she prepares for her
upcoming solo exhibition. In the studio one notices the meticulous way
she conducts herself while working.

There are large format works on which the artist has drawn hair and
there are others, where she has drawn strands of hair using ink and
layered them with multi-coloured translucent material.

In her solo show titled ‘i-seek’, scheduled to open on February 21, 2018, the artist is exhibiting over 40 works that include drawings, mixed media works and three-dimensional works. She uses different hues of material that is hand-cut in different shapes and layered on paper to create a translucent effect. She says that layering has always intrigued her and she finds solace in working patiently drawing cutting and fixing layer upon layer. Patience was never a virtue otherwise, but while working it definitely is

Along with drawings on the paper, the layering creates a unique perspective and depth. These mystify and mesmerize the viewer.

The artist uses images of human hair and wings of different species of birds as a metaphor to represent bondage, freedom, wildness, fury and beauty.

She ponders: “I, as an artist, am deeply curious and interested in hair as a part of the human body… as from my childhood I have heard the command of ‘tie your hair!’; or the order “go and tie your hair!” often enough if not more.

The politics of hair conveys multiples of emotions in the way it is maintained.

She continues to say: “The dramas played about on my various works are in sought of an unfathomable release. The release from pressures we face and endure all through our lives. ”

The artist also remembers how anecdotes from Indian mythology have inspired her into starting the series of hair inspired works.

“In India’s culture and history, human hair and hairdos have been a never-ending subject of declamation for moralists. The hair being an important part of the body, a reflection of how one feels, mentally and physically, and communicates this to our peers,” she says.