Born in India, Rajul moved to Israel when she was only 19-years-old, studied arts at the prestigious Midrashah in Ramat Hasharon and traded her cultural roots for a more westernized experience.
Ironically, it was her move away from her traditions that allowed her to see it from another perspective. In her first ever solo exhibition in Singapore, Bollywood represents her version of India. With inspirations from Bollywood films, she depicts the fate of mythic and tragic characters, relationships of love, betrayal, devotion and fidelity and the epic and impossible battles of the generation gap through her distinctive painting style. Rajul’s brush stroke comes from a hint of comforting memory, of a past she once knew—an India that mattered most to her heart. “My inspiration behind ‘Bollywood’ is the excitement Indians all around the world get when they see the glamor, happiness, and perfection in most of these movies,” says Rajul. “As an Indian woman, I feel it is one way I have stayed in touch with my culture.”
Rajul also feels that most Bollywood films portray a perfect love story and offer the audience a positive and optimistic idea of life. “I feel like this has impacted my belief of the future,” she added.
In her work “Breathless,” an image of a woman’s face is painted with her golden locks glamorously flying over her face and capturing the audience with her intense gaze. “It’s a picture which leaves you breathless … a feeling of larger than life,” says Rajul. “What I love is the freedom of colors, the dripping of paint, the spontaneity, and capturing the moment right then and there. I would say a lot of woman in India dream about them.”
“Her paintings convey the rapture and enthusiasm of mass consumer culture,” says New York gallerist Paul Rodgers. “Ultimately, it is this blend of personal exoticism with the common currency of international contemporary art which endows Mehta’s paintings with particular poignancy.”
“Bollywood” is on Apr 21-24 at The Arts House, 1 Old Parliament Lane, 6336-3386. Free.
