L: Madame Yevonde, Lady Bridgett Poulett as Arethusa (1935) R: Neeta Madahar, Anna with Magnolias (2010)
Artist Neeta Madahar opens a new exhibition exploring the construction of female roles through portraiture and role play
Role Play: Neeta Madahar & Madame Yevonde opens on 20 May at PM Gallery and House and features a series of works, Flora, by our artist of the week, Neeta Madahar. The works are inspired by the distinctive 1935 Goddesses series by Madame Yevonde as Madahar shares her interest in the construction of female roles. The artist invited seventeen female friends to pose as Flora, the Roman deity of flowering and fruit-bearing plants. The images produced are universal representations but also deeply personal reflections allowing the sitters to fashion their own idealised femininity.
Sky, Seeds, and Me, Neeta Madahar, 2005, edition of 50
Iniva, Fabrica and Photoworks commissioned Madahar’s first film, Falling, in 2005. In this film sycamore seeds tumble slowly toward the viewer in a dramatic moment that echoes naturally occurring phenomena yet enables the viewer to immerse themselves in stillness and intimate details. This ordinary scene is exposed in crystalline detail, albeit in an uncanny exaggerated form, reflecting on the dream-like temporality of nature and memory. Madahar represents the physical world in unusual ways enabling the viewer to immerse themselves in stillness and intimate details. You can watch a clip of this film here.
Neeta Madahar was part of Iniva’s Atlas season of exhibitions and events that map ideas and experiences largely drawn from uncharted territory
The artist also produced a limited edition print to accompany the film Falling, called Sky, Seeds, and Me. It is still available to buy through Iniva’s online shop.