Agni (the fire lord) burns a deep and glowing light, revealing himself as a bull that is also a cow. This was the idea of a totality that lies beyond duality, that appeared in the mists of the early Vadas. What we perceive as opposites are elements of a fusion when this form returns to us with Parvati in her eternal embrace with Shiva. Sharing the third eye, their vision is like no other, where the goddess of creation comes together with the god of destruction.
Here, the wrenching of a conflict – masculine and feminine come to rest as a union. Both constantly drawn to entwine and fuse with each other, Purusha the male and passive force of the universe, while Prakriti the female and active force, create a synthesis and are exalted as the root and womb of all creation. Both aloof and active, destructive and constructive, and as inseparable as word and meaning, Ardhanareshwari unite and unify all other separations.
About the Series:
This artwork is part of the “Sister Misfortune” series, through which the artist, Smruthi Gargi Eswar, narrates lesser-known stories from Indian mythology, while reflecting on the narrative surrounding women in our culture. Various Indian goddesses (devis) are depicted with a refreshing artistic lens.
In India, there is a constant burden on women to be “Devi-like”. Through this series, the artist attempts a reverse deification of the goddesses, making them appear like real women, in a real world. The series is an exploration not just of duality, but of multiplicity. It compels us to question our attitudes - women towards themselves, men towards women. How does the idea of a goddess coexist within every woman? How do we, as a society, so casually dismiss, disrespect, disregard, and defile in our everyday existence, those who we have bedecked with gold and enshrined in a temple?
Here, the wrenching of a conflict – masculine and feminine come to rest as a union. Both constantly drawn to entwine and fuse with each other, Purusha the male and passive force of the universe, while Prakriti the female and active force, create a synthesis and are exalted as the root and womb of all creation. Both aloof and active, destructive and constructive, and as inseparable as word and meaning, Ardhanareshwari unite and unify all other separations.
About the Series:
This artwork is part of the “Sister Misfortune” series, through which the artist, Smruthi Gargi Eswar, narrates lesser-known stories from Indian mythology, while reflecting on the narrative surrounding women in our culture. Various Indian goddesses (devis) are depicted with a refreshing artistic lens.
In India, there is a constant burden on women to be “Devi-like”. Through this series, the artist attempts a reverse deification of the goddesses, making them appear like real women, in a real world. The series is an exploration not just of duality, but of multiplicity. It compels us to question our attitudes - women towards themselves, men towards women. How does the idea of a goddess coexist within every woman? How do we, as a society, so casually dismiss, disrespect, disregard, and defile in our everyday existence, those who we have bedecked with gold and enshrined in a temple?
