Curator's Note

Walking along the streets of Paris, I can see that the sun is almost gone now, and the sky has transformed into a breathtaking canvas of vibrant hues. I am looking for a house, and when I am about to give up, I see Anju Di, the one I have come to Paris for, waving at me from behind a giant gate. Stepping into her home is an exceptional experience; it’s remarkable how one can keep alive the essence of one’s cultural milieu after being away from their homeland for decades. It’s almost like I am sitting in a Bengali drawing room in the middle of Paris. But perhaps the most enchanting aspect of the house is the warmth and hospitality of its owner. Talking to her implores a sense of familiarity; in other words, I was getting a feeling that we hadn't just met but had known each other for a long time. And as we sit together, drinking wine and sharing stories, I request that she take me to her studio. And so we go to her studio, which is right underneath, in the basement of her home. 

The basement is unlike anything I have seen before, it’s a sanctuary of creativity and talent. Here, amidst shelves of art supplies and brushes sprawled around everywhere, stand her masterpieces. Her paintings have a larger-than-life quality as they tower over you; these massive artworks dwarf the observer, inviting them to step into a realm where scale becomes part of the experience. Despite the colossal sizes of the paintings, there is a feeling of softness to her interpretations of the world around her. Her unique perception is evident from her use of colours that engulf the spectator in a symphony of visual ecstasy. The hanging artworks in her studio demonstrate a profound attachment to her Bengali roots, weaving elements of her heritage into the fabric of her art. One can sense the love and warmth she instills while creating these works, it’s like she has knitted her love for art into her paintings. In addition to her exceptional way of using colour, she incorporates a unique element to her artworks — handmade paper, which is a work of art in itself. She prepares these papers herself, using things found in nature, and this helps her portray a grounded impression of her artworks. Paper or canvas is often just used as a base for art, but Anju Di has been successful in bringing the paper she uses to the forefront of her artworks. Hence, the paper becomes the soul of her artworks, it's almost like art is impossible without the intricately crafted paper. She captures the essence of shared experiences and, hence, celebrates the universality of art. The different blooms in her paintings represent different cultures, which come together to form a beautiful flower garland, depicting the convergence of different civilisations. One feels those same emotions when one observes Anju Di’s ineffable paintings as they invoke a feeling of oneness that travels through the streets of bustling Kolkata, rests in a quaint Bengali village, and flows with the river Seine in Paris. The weaving of these diverse cultures and identities has given birth to this exhibition. 

- Jyotirmoy Bhattacharya