Ranjan Kaul’s oil paintings depict women’s pursuit of freedom from discrimination and societal shackles

Ranjan Kaul's oil paintings on display at Urban Fringe in Delhi explore hope over despair amidst marginalization, discrimination and sexual harrassment of women in contemporary society.

“The plight of the Dalit women symbolically moving from darkness to light signifies hope”, says Ranjan Kaul talking of his artwork ‘Slipper and Silver’ which represents marginalisation in society. His painting is inspired by an incident which happened at the Rajavur village of Madathukulam taluk of Tiruppur district in December last year, when 60 Dalits walked the ‘Kambala Naicken Street’ in Tamil Nadu wearing footwear for the first time.

Kaul explores the predicaments of women in various social setups through his paintings in his solo show Within, Without at Urban Fringe gallery in Delhi. He challenges the conventional norm of expression in presenting the plight of women, choosing the perspective of hope over despair.

The exhibition showcases over 50 oil paintings that serve as a mirror to what crippled conventions in society, using multiple socio-cultural issues that impact women such as inequality, discrimination and sexual harrassment as the basis to develop his art.

For instance, the online app Sulli Deals which came out in 2021 inspires his artwork ‘Deal of the Day’ which depicts Muslim women being auctioned. The app contained photos and personal information of around 100 Muslim women who were described as ‘deal of the day’. The theme of the exhibition hits hard in ‘Conquer with Immunity’ which boldly highlights sexual harassment faced by women over centuries. The pessimism of the issues is countered through a pair of paintings called ‘Scintilla of Hope’ which powerfully evoke the feelings of oppressed women wanting freedom from the shackles of injustice and inequality.

‘Every Night’, Kaul depicts women who are compelled to become sex workers for survival, while ‘Ladies in Waiting’ showcases the predicament of ageing sex workers as they are no longer able to attract customers. Their poignant faces on the canvas are telling.

Inspired by Percy Shelley’s poem, The Masque of Anarchy, Kaul also equates fake news anarchy. Symbolism and satire are his key tools to depict the sociocultural paralysis of the society and its growing obsession with unrealistic beauty standards in cocktail parties.

“The primary focus of my exhibition is on an imaginative articulation of I believe are the disruptive and disquieting conditions we are living in today. I have reimagined situations and used a range of devices and visual languages – from mythology and literary references to flora symbolism and human-animal hybrid characters,” says Kaul.