Vibgyor

Annapoorna Sitaram's work Woman and Cats seems like a simple snapshot at first glance. There is this lady in the garden cuddling her cats. But these are obvious facts. Beyond the facts, the figures turn out to be metaphors with latent ambiguity.

The work tends to call attention to these sensuousness of the smooth, fair skin and parted lips of the woman, while the rest ofthe works is rendered in rough grey tones, preferring to remain in the background. However, the lady doesn't become just a portrait.

The role of the feline creatures,as symbols of her sexuality or mere props, remain inconclusive.One wonders whether she is just playing with the cats or holding them up for the gaze of a person or a camera.

Annapoorna has concerned herself with questioning the conservative models of portraying women on the canvas.But the metaphors she uses are understated and subtle.