The changing faces of women in india through the lenses of activist art and artists

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to study the changing status of women in India through their representation and practices in art. To evaluate how art practices of Indian women might be addressing empowerment, promoting socio-economic and progressive cultures. I base my arguments on the premise that art has the power to transform societies, as affirmed by Ernst Fischer in his essay The Necessity of Art.7This thesis attempts to analyse the impact of privileged and rural artists practices, their feminist and humanist concerns. The study was inspired by two pioneering exhibitions. Tiger by the Tail! Women Artists of India Transforming Culture, held at the Women's Studies Research Center, Brandeis University, Boston;8 almost coincidental with Global Feminisms in the Brooklyn museum...